The inability of the state government to take a decision on shifting Dr Ambedkar’s statue in front of Vidhana Soudha has resulted in a six-month delay in Metro construction work.
The inability of the state government to take a decision on shifting Dr Ambedkar’s statue in front of Vidhana Soudha has resulted in a six-month delay in Metro construction work. Although statues of Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose were shifted, opposition from various organisations has resulted in the state stalling the shifting of the statue.
The BMRCL, in its monthly newsletter, said the work in the area is at least six months behind schedule, as it awaits the state's approval. “The work in the area is becoming critical,” the newsletter said. The completion of the underground work at Vidhana Soudha is critical, considering that it is the connecting point for various reaches of the Metro. While the different reaches of Metro may become operational, the underground stretch may take longer to complete, experts said.
“The real value of the Metro will be realised only when the central connection is completed. Until then, it will only be four arms of the Metro going up and down. The underground connectivity is crucial as it provides a point of exchange for commuters,” said Ashwin Mahesh, an urban land transport expert.
The chief minister had said a committee would be formed to look into the matter. The social welfare minister was tasked to hold goodwill talks between the stakeholders, but there has been little progress.
Apart from the Ambedkar statue issue, BMRCL is still awaiting an approval from South Western Railways, Hubli, for permission to carry out work near the City Railway station.
This issue cropped up recently when BMRCL was asked to stop work until it coughed up `125.70 crore as licence fee to the railways. A decision on the issue is awaited and a meeting is slated for this month, said the newsletter. Litigation in the high court involving land acquired by NHAI has affected the viaduct work in Peenya, the newsletter added.
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