Build transport hub, not malls, in Hebbal

Hebbal in Bengaluru is all set to emerge as a public transport hub, but a hitch is that the Namma Metro and a private company are eyeing the same parcel of land. The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) is currently implementing Phase 2 of a project to connect K R Puram and Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), with a station at Hebbal.

Two other metro lines in the pipeline, one from J P Nagar and another from Sarjapur, will also have stations at Hebbal. This will be a point of convergence for passengers using different modes of transport, especially for those proceeding towards the airport. The ambitious suburban railway line, which aims to connect the suburbs of the city, will also have a station here. Many Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) trips already originate and terminate at Hebbal.

Urban planners have for a long time adopted a myopic view of Bengaluru’s requirements, but now, the BMRCL has done some forward thinking and proposed a multi-modal transport hub to seamlessly integrate three metro stations, a suburban railway station, and a BMTC terminus.

The BMRCL has identified 45 acres for the purpose, but there is a catch. In 2000, a high level committee of the state government approved a proposal by Lakeview Tourism Corporation, a partnership firm, to set up an integrated township on the same piece of land.

The project, however, did not take off, and the land now vests with the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), though compensation is yet to be paid to the original land owners.

The government had earlier ordered the KIADB to transfer this parcel directly to the BMRCL as acquiring land afresh is both time-consuming and expensive. Accordingly, the BMRCL had agreed to pay a compensation of Rs 551.18 crore at the rate of Rs 12.1 crore per acre.

Now, some quarters in the government are moving to revive the township project, which comprises office complexes, five-star hotels, malls, and residential apartments.

This naturally raises eyebrows. What Bengaluru needs immediately is not more commercial space, but a better, more efficient transport system.

The township project should be dropped, and the land should be transferred to the BMRCL immediately as any further delay will only lead to cost escalation. When caught between the larger public good and private interest, the government should be guided by the former.