Anjanapura metro line goes over broken roads, footpaths

The Yelachenahalli-Anjanapura line in southern Bengaluru may have opened but some crucial finishing works at metro stations and on the road underneath are still incomplete.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has promised to set a timeline soon for the completion of the works.

At the metro stations, incomplete works include interiors ranging from electrical wiring to putting up yellow reflective tapes that guide the entry/exit of passengers.

According to a source in the BMRCL, electric wiring is yet to be completed in some of the restrooms, especially those meant for the staff. The installation of station maps and signage is also pending, the source said, adding that all these works can be completed in a week.

Repair works pending

Outside the metro stations, pending works include the repairs of roads and pavements that were dug up during the construction. Half of the carriageway (the part of the road used by vehicles) on Kanakapura Road, especially between Vajrahalli and Nice Road intersections, remains dug up, and each passing vehicle raises a dust storm. Footpath construction remains incomplete on several stretches of the road.

Meenakshi D, who lives near the Silk Institute (Anjanapura) metro station, said the road needed urgent asphalting as the dust was "coming into our apartment". "We had enough trouble in the last five years. Authorities must fix the road immediately."

Roopa M S, a college-goer, showed some of the metro construction debris, including barricades, thrown next to the footpath near the Silk Institute station. "Most of the footpaths built (by the metro) were already encroached upon by shopkeepers or pushcart vendors. Now, metro workers themselves are dumping the construction waste on them. What is the use of spending crores of rupees if we can’t have a decent footpath," she asked.

BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth said minor works were ongoing and promised a timeline for their completion. The development of footpaths, he said, required close coordination with BBMP for the removal of encroachments.

A federation of resident welfare associations recently wrote to the BMRCL, urging it to develop roads and footpaths on Kanakapura Road.