Metro may not derail New Year revelry on MG Road

It is uncertain whether Bangaloreans will have the Metro as a New Year gift but what they won’t have is Metro construction spoiling celebrations on their favourite spot –– MG Road.

As 2011 approaches, M G Road has been witnessing hectic activity with the Metro construction in full swing. Over the past 48 hours, construction activity has restricted the movement in the Central Business District (CBD) with the work on foot overbridge already underway. The abrupt halt to vehicular movement on M G Road has come to many as a surprise as they found themselves in the midst of chaos on the connecting roads. But whether the construction activity will also run into the next year is a question that is yet to be answered.

While the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) tries its best to meet the December deadline, Traffic Police have already committed themselves for any eventuality.

The New Year celebrations will indeed be hit if the Metro work is not completed as per schedule and stretches into January 2011. However, optimism was voiced by both parties in providing safety to the New Year revellers as the Metro construction has in the last few days picked up pace.

Additional Commissioner for Police, Praveen Sood, speaking to Deccan Herald said that there would be no restrictions on movement of people if the Metro construction is finished by December 31.

“If the Metro work is completed and the heavy machinery involved in the project moves out by the eve of New Year celebrations on M G Road, we have no problem. We hope that it happens by December 31,” he said.

The optimism was reflected in the words of the BMRCL spokesperson too when contacted on whether the Metro work will indeed be completed by this month end. “We are pushing to meet the December deadline. Let us wait and watch,” said the spokesperson for the BMRCL, Y B Chavan.