Majestic to go

Transport authorities have begun work on the Rs 700-crore Inter Model Transit Centre project at the Majestic Bus Stand, also referred to as the Kempegowda Bus Terminal.

The building, expected to be sixty-six storeys high, will be the tallest in the country, according to transport officials.

Work on the project has begun as the plan has been approved by the authorities. But Bangaloreans are not happy at the thought of losing yet another of their heritage landmarks.+

Public in dark

People's representative groups are furious that public has not been informed about the plan. They are gearing up to move court.

"The project cannot be undertaken just like that. A concrete and comprehensive plan has to be prepared. It has to be debated and then has to take off using minimum space in Majestic. The public is not aware about the development," said former Bangalore mayor P R Ramesh.

"It's wrong to start work without bringing it to public notice. As Kempegowda bus terminal is a unique structure and an important landmark, they can't demolish it. Officials have to take people into confidence, which they haven't. If that is the case, we will move court," said Lakshminarayan, former deputy mayor, Bangalore.

Proposes plan

The transport ministry has given their consent for the proposed plan which involves the construction of more than sixty floors. The process of shifting depots began last week.

Three designs for the construction of the structure have been proposed. They are: one like Ali Burj Hotel in Dubai, Double Tusk design and Shikara design.

"We have started work on the project after consultations with the public representatives. Shifting work has begun. Construction will also begin after the structure shape is finalized.

'Work has begun'

"We are having talks with private companies, who are interested in taking up this initiative under PPP (public private partnership)," said M A Saleem, director (security and vigilance), KSRTC.

Initially KSRTC will shift BMTC and KSRTC depots to four other places in Bangalore. A part of BMTC depot has already been shifted to Mysore road.

The layout

While 1,43,000-sq feet has been set aside for public purpose 36 lakh sq feet is earmarked for commercial use. The iconic tower will come up in the northwestern side. Shopping malls and cinema theatres will be constructed in the western side of the building.

Metro and Monorail stations will come up in the fifth and fourth floors. Third and second floors will serve the parking purpose and first floor will be BMTC terminal above which KSRTC terminal is proposed.

Seven floors above the ground floor will serve as offices to many government departments.

Final plan

"The plan is finalised. The new terminal is designed under densification of corridor concept, which supports seamless travel. As it has been finalised, the work has begun," said M N Shrihari, advisor to BMTC.

Little space for vehicles on CMH Road

Bangalore: CMH Road, a critical location on the Namma Metro route map, sported a new bustle on Monday as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) commenced work on the stretch. The central portion was being barricaded through the day, monitored by BMRC officials.
Barricading will take place in phases between BM Shree Circle and Adarsha junction. Once the barricades are in place, traffic will be shut out of 9.5 metres of road space (4.75 metres on either side of the central point). Basaveshwara Rao, project manager of Navayuga Engineering, the contractor executing the work, said barricading work would continue through the night. By evening, the action was concentrated near the CMH Road-Double Road intersection.
Though the first day of traffic diversions was largely smooth for the traffic police, there was enough indication of what the situation could be in the coming days. For starters, the promised ban on parking on the stretch was not in place. A constable said work was in its initial phase and the ban would be enforced soon.
Heavy vehicles reaching BM Shree Circle are plying on the Old Madras Road-80 Feet Road route and those heading towards Adarsha junction are taking the 80 Feet Road-Old Madras Road route. With vehicles parked on both sides, available road space (about 4 metres) has further shrunk. Variations in width could also pose problems. “The stretch after the CMH Road-Double Road intersection is not as wide as others,” said Sajid, who works nearby.

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists stop Tamil Nadu-bound buses

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists stop Tamil Nadu-bound buses

Venting ire: Activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike protesting atop a bus bound for Tamil Nadu at the Satellite Bus Terminus on Mysore Road in Bangalore on Sunday.

BANGALORE: Activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike’s T.A. Narayana Gowda faction continued their protest demanding classical status for Kannada language.

This comes in the wake of a Tamil Nadu advocate questioning in the Madras High Court giving classical status to Kannada.

On Sunday, the activists went to the Satellite Bus Terminus on Mysore Road and stopped some buses bound for various places in Tamil Nadu. The protestors accused the Union Government of deliberately delaying issue of notification giving classical status to Kannada despite proof of the language meriting the status.

The protestors climbed atop some buses and raised slogans against the Union Government, affecting the movement of buses for nearly two hours. The vedike members had stopped some Tamil Nadu-bound trains at the Bangalore City Railway Station on Saturday.

No arrests were made.