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Namma Ambedkar

Last Updated 31 October 2011, 17:47 IST

The harried citizens of Bangalore, patiently awaiting a solution to the horrors of daily commute on its grid-locked roads, have wholeheartedly welcomed the opening of a small section of Namma Metro which promises to make their lives easier.

The 6.7-km stretch from Baiyappanahalli to MG Road, now operational, may  serve a limited purpose at the moment, but the quality of service and the enthusiasm with which the people have taken to it indicates that the Metro will be a huge success once it connects the outlying areas with the City centre.

The delays caused by political uncertainties and problems in acquiring land have already pushed the completion schedule by about two years, and it is incumbent upon the state government to expeditiously remove the hurdles the project is facing.

The underground tunnelling in front of Vidhana Soudha and the state High Court is the most challenging part of the work, as the safety of the landmark buildings was a matter of concern. The engineers of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) were able to convince the authorities that the Metro would pose no danger and this particular link was vitally important to create the network.

Strangely, though the tunnelling work began about a year ago, the controversy surrounding the shifting of a statue in front of Vidhana Soudha has all but spooked the project. The statues of Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose have been shifted without much ado, but for over two years, the government has not permitted the shifting of the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar, on the pretext that some dalit organisations have been opposing it.

Last week, BMRCL managing director N Sivasailam wrote to the government that unless it took a decision soon on shifting the Ambedkar statue, the Metro work will come to a halt and even a few months’ delay would entail an additional cost of Rs100 crore.

Considering that BMRCL has promised to put the statues right back in their places once the project was complete, the government should immediately call the protesters and convince them that their objection was untenable.

Dr Ambedkar, the father of the Constitution, is as venerable as our other national icons, and nobody should see a ‘conspiracy’ to take away a pride of place for his statue in front of Vidhana Soudha. It’s the government’s responsibility to take administrative decisions in the larger interest of the people, and it cannot allow itself to be cowed down by some unreasonable organisations. The government must act now.

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(Published 31 October 2011, 17:47 IST)

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