Crawling Metro work chokes Kuvempu Road

Barricades have been erected right in the middle of the road restricting the space for traffic movement to a mere four metres. Motorists are having a harrowing time navigating the narrow stretch.

Vehicles proceeding towards Navarang Circle from Malleswaram have to pass through the railway overbridge near Devaiah Park. An alternative implies a circuitous route of about five kilometre. Left with no alternative, motorists choose the nearest route, choking the stretch. The commuters say the authorities should have come up with a temporary alternative to the overbridge before taking up work on a long-gestation project such as the Metro.

Business affected

Shops and commercial establishments on either side of the road are also bearing the brunt of the traffic bottleneck.  The narrowed road has also eaten into parking space, and barricades prevent customers from crossing the road. Traders say they are not against Metro, but were bothered by its slow pace.

“The barricade has become a sort of Line of Control. Who will compensate the loss our businesses have suffered,” the traders asked.

Students too have not been spared the agony. Malleswaram and Rajajinagar are home to several prestigious educational institutions. The pell-mell on the road has forced students to reach their schools and colleges late. And coupled with rash driving, it’s total chaos along the stretch.

Signature tune to be out in two weeks

If you are one of the 101 contestants who sent in an entry to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to compete in its ‘signature Tune’ competition, then be ready to receive a call any moment.

For it is now a matter of just two weeks before you collect your Rs one lakh cheque and proclaim: “Namma Metro dances (read moves) to my tune.”

A four-member committee which has been vetting over the tunes for over a month now will come out with the result of the ‘Signature Tune’ competition that the BMRCL had called for in October last year.

The invitation for entries closed on October 30, 2010 and about 101 entries were accepted.

Metro sources told Deccan Herald that a committee has been going through the tunes for over a month now and soon the results will be made public –– with the winner’s tune becoming an integral part of Metro’s brand building.

The tune will be played every time a ‘Namma Metro’ advertisement is aired and before announcements at the stations.

BMRCL spokesperson B L Y Chavan said: “Four members, all from the music industry, are judging the entries and the result should be out in about two weeks.”

Refusing to name the jury, he said all of them are from Karnataka and that there is one music producer and one artiste in the committee.