K'taka Minister wants metro till Bannerghatta Park after getting stuck in traffic jam

R Shankar got stuck at the Jayadeva Hospital signal, and was also annoyed because of the bumpy ride.

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Residents of Bengaluru’s’ Bannerghatta are used to spending hours in traffic due to the jam at the Jayadeva Hospital signal and then getting stuck on Bannerghatta Road. However, Karnataka’s Minister for Environment and Forests, R Shankar, was annoyed because he was stuck at this junction while he was on his way to visit the Bannerghatta Biological Park on Sunday.

Now, he has decided to appeal to the Bengaluru Metro Rail Transport Corporation Limited to extend the proposed Red Line or Green Line up till the Biological Park.

The Minister was furious because of the bumpy ride on the pothole-riddled roads clubbed with insufferable bottlenecks. Shankar, who probably wanted to spend his Sunday basking in the beauty of the Biological Park was in for another surprise on reaching the spot. The long wait for a safari vehicle worsened his mood.

“During the weekend, about 1,000 people visit the Bannerghatta Biological Park and on Sunday, when I visited the park, I got a sense of what people had to endure to reach the park. Also, the long waiting line for the safari vehicles does not sound ideal for tourists,” the Minister said.

The Green Line of the Bengaluru Metro, which is being developed till Anjanapura, is less than 10 km from the Biological Park. The Minister is planning to propose that this line be extended right up to the zoo so that it would benefit tourists.

Is this plan feasible?

According to transport expert Sanjeev Dhyamannavar, although the proposal is a sound one, it would not be wise to divert the existing line as the metro construction has already been delayed.

“The construction of the Green Line was delayed because of underground constructions. There are two options now — to connect the Gottigere-Nagavara line to the Bannerghatta Park or the Anajanapura line. But, the metro construction has already been delayed. The Red Line construction was delayed by four years. The first priority is to connect the Gottigere-Nagavara Line to the airport. BMRCL must prioritise before taking up more on its shoulder,” Sanjeev says.

He says that the BMRCL is short of funds and had to call for tenders once again on Tuesday because of the issue.

“Where is the money to construct a line for another 10 km? They are struggling to complete existing projects. Maybe after five to six years when the airport line is complete, they can look at this. Meanwhile, the BBMP can look into fixing the roads and finishing the road widening project for which it had chopped off nearly 200 trees,” he added.