Techies' petition against dropping Attibele metro line

Techies have launched an online petition against excluding a metro line connecting Bommasandra to Attibele, promised by the previous government.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's budget last week announced six lines or extensions for Namma Metro Phase 3 of 105.55 km, but the Attibele line, announced by Siddaramaiah in the February budget, did not find a mention. The latest budget has cut down the length of the next phase to 95 km.

In his petition on Change.org addressed to the chief minister, Joseph Borugadda notes that a metro line to Attibele would "reduce congestion on Hosur Road and cut down travel time".

The Attibele line, about 11 km in length, was planned as an extension of the RV Road-Bommasandra line of Phase 2. Thousands of commuters come to Electronics City from Attibele, Chandapura and Anekal every day.

"The metro line (announcement) had brought huge relief to lakhs of people who live in these areas. How can the government suddenly drop a project after its mention in the budget?" said Pradeep Dwivedi, a resident of Chandapura.

Siddharth M said people should not suffer because of a change in the government. "What is the use of a budget announcement if it is to be scrapped by the next government? Who should we believe," he said.

Dwivedi said about 15 residents' associations from the Whitefield and Anekal area would join hands to fight for the metro. "Members of several other associations have also expressed their displeasure. We will take up the issue with the officials," he said.

While the Attibele line was a suggestion by the in-house team of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, the Hosakerehalli-Marathahalli line backed by the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) has also been dropped by the government.