Activists to take up metro accessibility, last mile connectivity

Citizens groups and NGOs will take up issues related to integration of different modes of transport and last mile connectivity to Namma Metro in the round table conference coming up on Saturday.

Citizens Action Forum's N S Mukund said the government should take multi-modal transport into account while planning major projects like Namma Metro.

The issue has come under spotlight after Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) decided to changed the location of the upcoming metro station near Cantonment railway station citing technical reasons.

"The government is spending crores of rupees on metro project but there are no proper plans. Most of the metro stations  have been planned unscientifically with no safe access and last-mile connectivity," he said.

Rajkumar Dugar, a resident of Vasantnagar, said the high court's direction that public opinion should be heard before taking up big projects has been ignored. "The BMRCL chose to collect only 17 signatures as part of public consultation for Gottigere-Nagawara line," he said.

CfB convener Srinivas Alavilli said though the government was spending a quarter of its budget on metro, no attempts have been made to find solutions for various mobility problems. "At several places, including Byappanahalli and Banashankari, it is difficult to reach metro stations from bus stops. BMRCL has failed to coordinate with BMTC and the railways," he said.

"IISc professor Ashish Verma, transport experts Ashwin Mahesh, Pavan Mulukutla and urban architect Naresh Narasimhan and others will participate in the conference," CfB member Tara Krishnaswamy said.