Karnataka

'Make Bengaluru Namma Metro Phase II plan public’: Cong, BJP MPs unhappy over secrecy

At a roundtable organized by citizen activist groups, many voiced their dissatisfaction over the project report being kept a secret.

Written by : TNM Staff

In a rare occurrence, both Congress and BJP MPs voiced their dissatisfaction over the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation keeping the Detailed Project Report of the Namma Metro Phase-II a secret.

“I will write to MoUD (Ministry of Urban Development) and ask them to make the report public. When other Metro projects in Mumbai, Jaipur, Kochi and other cities have no problems, why is BMRCL trying to keep the document secret,” asked PC Mohan, the BJP MP from Central Bengaluru, at the roundtable organised by citizen activist groups on Saturday.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda, who was also present at the meeting, said, “I would like to ask the government to urge the BMRCL to share information. I am from the same party which is in power in Karnataka and I hope my voice would be heard.”

The roundtable, which was focused on the integration of transport, saw participation from citizens, urban mobility experts, BMTC officials, urban land transport department and even politicians. 

Incidentally, the BMRCL officials gave the event a miss after a gag order was passed on Friday. The reason was the presence of media at the roundtable.

The decision was received flak after the BMRCL faced sustained opposition for its insistence on building a metro station at Bamboo Bazaar, rather than building it at the Cantonment Station as originally proposed.

When the issue came up, Gowda said, “I will try to convince BMRCL to shift back the Cantonment Metro alignment. As for the lack of public consultation, I feel engagement is a must. The government will not lose anything by doing it and only stands to gain."

PC Mohan added, “DPRs are made in consultation with DMRC, but for Phase-2, BMRCL changed the alignment at will, including at KR Puram and Whitefield, apart from Cantonment. It is shocking.”

 

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