Namma Metro Phase 1 to miss April deadline - The Hindu
Updated: November 8, 2015 07:27 IST
Hard rocks, cracked buildings pose hurdles for completing work in underground section.
Hard rocks and cracked buildings pose hurdles for Namma Metro as it “struggles” to meet its much-touted deadline of April 2016 for the much-beleaguered Phase I of the metro network.
On the sidelines of a programme to commemorate the “breakthrough” achieved in the underground section leading from Kempegowda interchange to Sampige Metro Station on Saturday, Pradeep Singh Kharola, Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL), told presspersons: “We hope to have the tunnelling and civil works in the north-south line complete by March. Only after that can we start the trials and the process for getting safety clearance begins.”
If one were to look at the travails of Magadi Road to Mysuru Road section (Reach II), which is scheduled to open soon, the trials had started in March, while the safety clearance was given only a month ago.
For the metro, the stretch between Sampige station and Kempegowda interchange, where the troubled Godavari tunnel-boring machine is moving ahead, has nearly 500 m of progress to meet, much of it being hard rock. Officials, however, were confident of achieving a “breakthrough” in three months. “Within four days, the TBM will be put on full swing … We are struggling hard to meet the April deadline (set by the State and Union governments),” said Mr. Kharola.
Another source of delay could be the Kaveri TBM which is struggling to progress between Chickpet and Kempegowda interchange. Cracks developing in the older buildings of the area have seen the work halt until the structures are strengthened —as seen in the cracks in three buildings in Balepet area. Though the TBM has 200 m more to go, nearly 15 identified “weak” buildings stand in the way of speedy progress.
“Chickpet is a difficult area as there are many old buildings or those with mud walls and weak foundations. We cannot proceed until any weak parts of critical buildings are attended to,” said Mr. Kharola.
There is, however, good news for the commuters who live along the east-west line between Byappanahalli and Mysuru Road. BMRCL officials said the line would be opened by the year-end.
