Bengaluru Metro: Experts call suburban expansion plan 'ill-conceived'
Bengaluru, there's a discussion about extending the Namma Metro rail network to suburban areas, and not everyone is excited about it. Many people are asking, «Why go outside the city when the main parts are still not connected?»
The deputy chief minister, DK Shivakumar, recently talked to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to get permission for this extension. The plan is to reach places like Bidadi, Hoskote, Harohalli, and Nelamangala.
However, some are not happy with this idea.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya called it “amusing”. He said, «Instead of accelerating work in Bengaluru’s core area, it makes no point to extend it to areas outside the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) limits when none of the 129 km of proposed length was part of the CMP (Comprehensive Mobility Plan)-2020.”
“The BMRCL has failed umpteen times to meet deadlines. It adds no value to the needs of citizens, considering the lower density of the population in the suburbs.
The core area of the city should be the priority,” he said.»
Urban mobility experts share this viewpoint, underscoring the importance of enhancing the current railway networks and completing ongoing projects. They also suggest the need for improved and increased bus services in suburban areas.
Mobility expert and convenor of IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab, Ashish Verma, said, «BMRCL should focus on building the metro network of 317km proposed in the CMP. Metro networks in the core area are required to decongest the traffic.
