Rs 30 cr rehabilitation package for metro-hit

Karnataka has evolved a Rs 30 crore rehabilitation package for business community and individuals, who are set to lose their property when it will be acquired for the proposed metro rail project in Bangalore. It has also ruled out any change in the route alignment.

The Rs 6,395 crore project requires 197 acres of land of which 27 is held by private parties. A significant number of property owners, particularly those from CMH Road in Indiranagar, had opposed the acquisition of land.

They had demanded the realignment of the Metro Rail route. The government had set up a panel, headed by justice Shivashankar Bhat, to look into the matter. The panel had recently submitted its recommendations to the government.

Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy told reporters here on Friday that the government had accepted the recommendations of the panel.

"In accordance with the recommendation, there will be only one common station by the side of Arya Samaj building on CMH Road instead of the two proposed earlier. The rehabilitation package offers compensation equivalent to the market rate of the properties," he said.

Among other recommendations accepted by the government are: that of putting up a station on M G Road (where the Plaza theatre exists), designing metro stations as small business hubs and directing the Bangalore Development Authority to accord priority to the affected individual property owners and businessmen in allotting residential sites and commercial shops respectively.

Kumaraswamy ruled out changing the alignment of Metro Rail on the Mahakavi Kuvempu Road in Rajajinagar.

"We will ensure that infrastructure work is carried out without disturbing the business. Besides, we also intend to widen the roads to enable easy movement of traffic," he stated.