Written By Devesh - 25 September, 2008

Bangalore Bengaluru Namma Metro Media Reports BMRC Stations Metro Rail

I was supremely disappointed on reading this story in today's Deccan Chronicle. A quid pro quo with Bangalore for an elevated metro was to have good looking stations. Now we are going to get eyesores up in the sky, and are not even sure if there will be basic ameneties like lifts and escalators.

Can someone on Praja explain the structure of BMRCL and what options we have to force them to stick to their original ideas. There must have been some clause in the concession to prevent deficiency in service and aethetics.

http://www.deccan.com/Bengaluru/City/CityNews.asp?#Metro:%20BMRC%20on%20cost-cutting%20spree

Metro: BMRC on cost-cutting spree

Bengaluru Sept. 24: The much-touted plan by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd high-tech and aesthetic stations on MG Road is not likely to materialise. The BMRCL, which is in cost-cutting mode has been doing a complete turnaround to shelve the earlier plan and have no frills stations. “The present design for all the six stations on Reach One — M.G. Road station at Plaza, station opposite Nalli Silks, Trinity station, CMH Road, Old Madras Road station and Byappanahali have been shelved. All six stations will be ordinary with absolutely no frills. In fact, the earlier proposal had suggested an estimated cost of Rs 10 to Rs 12 crore on each station which was designed by RITES and leading architects of the city. Now the authority wants to spend only Rs 1 crore on each of these stations in a bid to save as much as Rs 50 crore,” said the officer.

The authority is also having second thoughts over redoing the promenade which saw over a dozen heritage trees being removed.  When contacted, BMRC managing director N. Sivasailam, said, “I don’t know. I cannot answer. There is a board meeting on September 27 and the board  will decide as to what to do with the designs and stations. I cannot comment as of now.” According to the earlier plan, all stations were  supposed to have distinct, unique architectural features with multiple escalators  for entry and exit, kiosks for ATMs and ticketing, coffee shops, bookshops, souvenir shops, lifts with Braille  buttons, signage conforming to international standards, heritage of Karnataka depicted in the form of art works and murals, CCTVs for total surveillance, smoke and fire sensors apart from utilities including automatic fare collection. Now, that’s history.

Devesh Agarwal

Tragically short sighted decision

ashwin - 26 September, 2008 - 14:33

I totally agree with you Devesh. This is an extremely disappointing move, and imo, very-very short sighted. If all this is to save 50 crores - less than 1% of the total project cost, it borders on the outrageous. Considering the slamming BIAL has gotten (unfairly imo) for a very finely constructed airport, with some politicos even comparing it to a Public Bus Stand, I wonder what word they will use to describe these stations once they come up - some choice words come to mind. The Metro is a legacy that will last us a 100 years. Metro stations are the pride of their cities in places as disparate as Washington DC & Moscow. We can't just sit quiet and let this happen. I would suggest all my concerned fellow citizens to make their voice heard on this issue. You could start by writing to the BMRC MD at sivasailam@bmrc.co.in Write letters to your local MLAs, many of whom are ministers in the current government. If you have contacts in the media, urge them to take up this issue. At the very least, BMRC cannot be allowed to get away with fiction of "minor modifications" to station design that they keep trotting out to the local papers. They need to be far more transparent about what they are doing and keep the citizenry informed.

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Dichotomy !

kbsyed61 - 26 September, 2008 - 15:36

What an dichotomy of my city: It is absolutely OK to spend 75 lakhs on one day meeting (ABIDE), celebrating the lethargy, inefficiencies, no work culture of our government babus? Politicians patting on each others back for not doing anything meaningful to the city. NGO feeling proud to do the work that Babu's doesn't want to do, even though he/she gets paid for? But it is not OK to spend some 50 crores giving some decent amneities to the public, which have been denied for lats 60 years in the name of austerity and savings. But my MLA/MP houses are getting bigger, grandeur, swanky and plush with fleet of luxury cars. If it is OK to just make some bus stand like stations, then what are we cribbing and whining about BIAL not spending another 200 crores?

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promenade at MG Road

tsubba - 26 September, 2008 - 17:31

i can appreciate that the BMRC wants to optimize costs. But the promenade on MG Road is a landmark for Bangalore.  BMRC would earn a lot of good will from the public if it returns the promenade, which remains one of the few public spaces in bangalore, in good and usable condition.

about the architecture itself, a few landmark locations perhaps the BMRC can respond to. at places like CMH Rd the facade would be covered by neighbouring buildings, and rationalization is perhaps welcome, but at important places like MG road, Jayanagar stations, where the facade of the station would standout perhaps the stations could be resonant with the local aesthetics.

stairs are more robust and energy efficient, but elevators are convenient for physically challenged. perhaps, they can comeup with graded slopes for access. i am pretty sure, there are cost effective designs that  can balance the two. just make sure that the physicaly handicapped and the elderly can access it.

i dunno how to say this nicely, but a robust, functional and appropriatetly aesthetic facility is mch more important than flashy, statement making facility.

then ofocurse, i would urge BMRC to be aggressive to coverage and to be a aggressively pursue every single kilometer of coverage they can obtain. we are a circular land locked city. need more than the radials.

 

 

 

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NECESSITY OF AESTHETIC & EXQUISITE METRO STATIONS

ssheragu - 27 September, 2008 - 06:38

ssheragu Hello Devesh and Ashwin I have sent an e-mail to Mr. Sivasailam and it is appended below, as desired. Praja can follow it up To Mr. Sivasailam MD BMRC Dear Sir, I am a Praja member. We are given to understand that instead of spending Rs 12 crores on each Metro station and making them high tech, useful, posh, plush, aestehtically exquisite and each being a masterpiece and also as a tourist spot / attraction, you are planning to spend just Rs 1 crore on each station (to cut down costs) and are building dingy, dull, stations. These stations when built wil end up as nothing but as third clas waiting rooms, within a short time of their opening. You can very well understand that we, Bangaloreans and you too, deserve good & posh stations. Further you are not going to save much as it is going to be only 1% or 2% of the total cost. Finally, a high tech sttaion as a luxurious masterpiece will earn revenue more than its investment cost in a very short time and it will keep on generating wealth for Metro. So we, at Praja, on behalf of all of Bangalore, request you to stick to the original plan of spending Rs 12 crores or more for each station and build exquisite stations for the utility of the public and for the benfit of the tourism department and never construct Rs 1 crore stations, which will soon become antiquated. We trust you will genuinely consider the views & aspirations of the Bangalore citizens and provide us quality, exquisite & useful metro stations. Thanking you in anticipation Srinath Heragu

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1 crore? 10 crore? - confusing news

silkboard - 28 September, 2008 - 15:47

I am confused now. I saw the RFP/tenders for 3 more stations in papers today - the cost mentioned for 3 stations is Rs 111 crores. Whats this 10 crore and 1 crore Deccan Herald article is talking about?

We are clearly mis-informed here, or those tenders are inflating costs.

I will pull those BMRCL tenders out from papers (scan) and put up a separate post to express my cost confusion.

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