Anchepalya residents demand metro station, say BMRCL 'betrayed' them

Residents of Srikantapura near Anchepalya in northern Bengaluru staged a protest on Thursday seeking a metro station near their locality.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is currently building the northern extension from Nagasandra to the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumakuru Road under Phase 2.

Residents said the BMRCL had rejected their demand for a metro station near Anchepalya saying it would affect the alignment.

“The BMRCL promised to build a road to the proposed Chikkabidarakallu metro station but there is no sign of when it will start,” said Mukhesh, a resident and activist.

Residents said officials cited a private company’s reluctance to part with its land for not starting the roadwork. “We are now asking them build a metro station. As per the
detailed project report (DPR), a metro station has to be built in Anchepalya,” a resident said.

As per the current design, Manjunathanagar, Jindal and BIEC metro stations will be built after the existing Nagasandra station. The protesters said the distance between Nagasandra and Manjunathanagar was 520 metres while the distance between Manunathanagar and Jindal was 650 metres. The distance between Jindal and BIEC stations is 2.1 km, they said, suggesting the metro line was being built to “help” Jindal.

According to the residents, people from Srikantapura and Totadaguddadahalli travel to the Peenya Industrial Area and beyond every day. A metro station would help thousands of people, they said.

What BRMCL says

BMRCL spokesperson B L Yashavanth Chavan said the Anchepalya station had not been sanctioned. “We initiated steps to provide road connectivity to the station but legal hurdles to land acquisition have delayed the work. Once the hurdles are removed, the work will be taken up,” he said.