BENGALURU: The design of the RV Road Metro station has been modified for a third time. This is to avoid the axing of several trees along the Lakshman Rau Boulevard and comes in the wake of strong resistance from residents who have approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to stay the project.Though the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation BMRCL ) is yet to make its new design public, officials said the new alignment would "save a lot of trees".A part of Green Line (or North South Corridor), the RV Road station branches out towards Electronic City and Bommasandra , which is part of Phase II of the Namma Metro project."Unlike previous designs, the new station on RV Road will be very close to the existing station. It is planned in such a way that not many trees and water pipelines will be affected. There will be a common platform for passengers who are going towards Banashankari and for those who are coming from Bommasandra," BMRCL MD Pradeep Singh Kharola said.With the new design, the BMRCL will have to demolish the existing entrance and the staircase as well as shift the escalators. "We will do it in phases," another BMRCL official said. "There is no change in the other alignment. The line, which comes from Jayadeva Hospital will cross over the Green Line's existing corridor and take a right towards RV Road," the official added.YK Muddukrishna, president of Samanvaya Vedike, Jayanagar, has extended conditional support to the new design."The officials in the BMRCL have told us that the new design will save a major portion of the boulevard.They say the station will come up on the fence and only a few trees will be cut. But we want them to come to the spot and show us. If the residents are happy, we will support them," Muddukrishna said.He pointed out that the NGT is scheduled to hear their case towards the end of this month."About 200 trees were cut to build the RV Road station. The officials had planned to add another station right in the middle of the road. The designs were changed thrice as we held a prolonged protest and approached the NGT," Muddukrishna, a retired BBMP official, said.Samanvaya Vedike had suggested that the RV Road-Bommasandra line be terminated on Marenahalli Road, which is about 200 metres from the station and the two stations be connected with walkways. The BMRCL, however, did not consider it "passenger-friendly".