Circular Rail Survey stalls as owners refuse to give up land in Bengaluru
BENGALURU: Railway officials from South Western Railway, conducting survey work for the Rs 23,000-crore Circular Railway network around Bengaluru are encountering stiff opposition from landowners. This resistance is significantly delaying the Final Location Survey (FLS), forcing officials to revisit the same location repeatedly, said railway officials.
The FLS involves narrowing down the exact locations of a project with a detailed break up of the total area required for the project and the number of properties that need to be acquired. It gives the alignment, the latitude and longitudes of any specific location and the grade.
Presently, the FLS and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) have been completed for only one out of seven corridors of this 287-km project, aimed at decongesting Bengaluru rail traffic. When it was submitted to the Railway Board for approval recently, it returned the file and asked the Division to first complete the survey for all the corridors.
The corridor from Devanahalli to Oddarahalli running to 28.5 km is ready. Surveyors are presently carrying out surveys for these six stretches: Nidavanada-Oddarahalli (40.3 km); Devanahalli-Malur (46.5 km); Malur-Heelalige (52 km); Heelalige-Hejjala (42 km) Hejjala-Solur (43.5 km) and Solur-Nidavanada (34.2 km).
A senior railway official stated, “Surveyors on the field often face resistance from property owners who refuse to allow them access. Many are unwilling to part with their land, making it difficult for us to proceed. Hence, they refuse to allow Railway staff to enter their premises.” The staff are later forced to visit the locations where they face resistance by accompanying the local police and the Railway Protection Force, he said. “A common request from landowners is to spare their property and use their neighbour’s land instead,” he added.
The survey work is being carried out simultaneously along the stretches of all the corridors. However, due to delays created by owners, the survey would be delayed by a month. “It will be completed by April or May. The FLS for the full project will be submitted to the Railway Board. If approved, we would get the sanction for the project. The DPR will be done for these six corridors next,” another official said.