Bengaluru: Public outcry against the location of the Cantonment metro station — part of Namma Metro’s Red Line in Phase II — now has a new supporter. P.C. Mohan, Bengaluru Central MP, on Friday spoke out against the changed location of the station, which moves it away from the Cantonment Railway Station and into a playground located at a distance.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had last month released the new location of the station when it published the entire alignment of the underground section of the Red Line.
Immediately, it was noticed that the location of the Cantonment Metro Station had been moved to a playground owned by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and used by children of a nearby school.
BMRCL had justified the move citing ease of land acquisition as the earlier land had to be procured from the Railways.
Mohan in a Facebook post said that he believed the move was not in the interest of commuters as it defeats the very purpose of encouraging the use of public transport.
He further said that the Cantonment station, which will play a major role in the city’s suburban rail network, was poised to see lakhs of commuters use the station to alight and switch to Namma Metro in the future.
“I will take up the matter with both the Union Urban Development Ministry and the BMRCL on why the original alignment cannot be maintained,” he said.
“I am surprised that the BMRCL has changed the alignment of the Nagawara-Gottigere underground Metro line and bypassed the Cantonment Railway Station.
It is not in the interest of commuters to locate the Cantt Metro station in Bamboo Bazaar as it defeats the very purpose of encouraging the use of public transport.
Cantonment Railway Station will also be an important suburban station in future where lakhs of commuters will alight and change over to the metro.
I will take up the matter with both the Union Urban Development Ministry and the BMRCL on why the original alignment cannot be maintained,’’ he posted on his Facebook page.
