Socio-Economic Study - Metro Station by Meghana Dutta

Socio- Economic Impact Study of

METRO STATION @ Jayanagar,Bangalore

Prepared by MEGHANA DUTTA

Date: 16 April 2017

1|Page

1.0 Background: The project in consideration for study is the upcoming Metro Station at Jayanagar, a neighbourhood in the city of Bangalore. Bangalore is one of the megacities in India and is also called the Silicon Valley of India. The current population of Bangalore has crossed 10 million and is spread over 850sqmiles. As per Dr.Sreedharan who is called the Metro Man of India, any city which has a population of over 2 million should have a metro. The carrying capacity of the roads in Bangalore has crossed the threshold as the no. of vehicles being added to the roads each day is not in sync with the infrastructure development. The Air Quality Index of Bangalore at 20 of the Metro Stations has been recorded as 76-314 based on the Bangalore Metro Website information. The value of 100 is said to be considered as normal. It is a common saying in Bangalore that the air we breathe is equivalent to smoking a cigarette. The emissions from the vehicles, is one of the largest contributors to deterioration of air quality. The city is drowning with four wheelers and two wheelers and is in an urgent need of a completely operational metro. 2.0 About the Metro: The Metro was first initiated in 2002 and even today the first phase of the Metro Line is yet to be completed. The Phase 1 comprised of two main lines running North and South and another East to West. Both together would only cover a stretch of 33 kms. The metro station under consideration is Jayanagar Station which is the Green Line which runs North to South. In the North South Corridor several hundreds of trees were cut to make way for the Metro Line. Acquisition of Residential and Commercial properties at very high prices had to be made to make space for the metro.

Figure 1: Bangalore Metro Phase 1, 2 and 3 Copyright: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=namma+met ro+map+all+phases&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&s ource=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij2ovh3_vSAhXIX LwKHYutA7MQsAQIJA&biw=761&bih=705#imgrc= waBrsehaLsVtjM:

2|Page

Figure 2: Different Sections of Bangalore Metro Phase 1 Project Copyright : themetrorailguy.com https://www.google.co.in/search?q=namma+met ro+map+all+phases&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&s ource=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij2ovh3_vSAhXIX LwKHYutA7MQsAQIJA&biw=761&bih=705#imgrc= waBrsehaLsVtjM:

Figure 3: Length of Metro Station Copyright : Page 7, Executive Summary, EIA and Mitigation Measures Detailed Report

3.0 About the Proposed Jayanagar Metro Station: The Jayanagar Metro station is an elevated station. Several trees had to be trimmed or cut for the purpose of construction of the station. There were many public voices against the proposed route of the metro and also the public had questioned the reason behind having an elevated station instead of an underground station. Since the land values are very high in Jayanagar, additional land has not been purchased by the Metro for provision of parking. Within the space purchased for station only ten car parking has been provided as per the Metro Website. Bangalore Development Authority has also not allocated area for parking, as according to them, providing parking spaces for the Metro is beyond their jurisdiction. The air quality index value near to the area that the metro station has been proposed is 178 which is said to be considered as severe air pollution.

3|Page

Copyright https://www.google.co.in/search?q=metro+statio n+at+nanda+theater+road,+jayanagar&espv=2&so urce=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjX8qLE 943TAhVEMI8KHS1gC6kQ_AUIBygC&biw=1517&bi h=681#tbm=isch&q=metro+line+at+nanda+theate r+road,+jayanagar&*&imgrc=7SDh6dRnsgNrrM:

4.0 Understanding the stakeholders for the Metro Station and its planning The key stakeholder groups for the project are -

BMRCL ( Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited)

BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike)

BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transportation Corporation)

Property Owners and Tenants

Street vendors and hawkers

Politicians and Government of Karnataka

The groups I would like to discuss briefly in terms of their motivations, agenda and values 4.1 BMRCL â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Bangalore Metro was proposed in 2002 and a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that is the Bangalore Metro Railway Corporation Limited was formed for this purpose. The final project approval for construction of Metro was obtained in 2005, and construction began in 2007. The motivation of the Metro was to prepare the line of metro with least amount of displacement of private property, acquire land accordingly, provide compensation and then construct the metro on time. Their task was challenging as the areas through which the metros were proposed was in the core of the city which was heavily populated and developed and many of the road widths were less than 60 feet. Their task was also to ensure during the process of the metro construction the residents of the area are minimally affected. BMRCL is expected to coordinate with the other government organisations such as the BMRCL, BWSSB, BESCOM and the Public to ensure a successful and no controversy Metro Rail system. However there is not

4|Page

much of coordination between the Water, Electrical or the Development Authority with BMRCL to make the neighbourhoods ready for the Metro. 4.2 Property Owners and Tenants â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The role of the BMRCL allowed compensation only to owners of properties. However it is said that as per analysis, more than 60% of the people were tenants in the metro corridors. Tenants were not included in either compensation or invited for public hearings with regards to metro. Their main dissatisfaction was that BMRCL was not transparent in their project details, and even when they did have public hearings, they did not take any public opinion seriously. When there was tremendous pressure from the Public, both the tenants and owners, BMRCL held a meeting with a days notice so that there would be very little public participation, and their obligation of holding a public meeting would be completed. I have been a resident very close to the Jayanagar Metro Station, for the last 11 years and have never been informed of a single public hearing. 4.3 Politicians and Government of Karnataka- Politics and who owns land on which road played an important role with regards to routing of the metro line. The tenants approached politicians to represent their interests and asked for re-alignment of metro line. The lobbying was done at various levels, state level and national level. Their agenda was to protect their investments and secondly to gain a vote bank. The nexus between builders and politicians is so strong that even the best intentions of experienced officers are superceded to satisfy the greed for money and power. The democracy of the country is questionable at various levels, as development decisions are taken typically to favour the privileged minority. The delay of the Metro and the increasing of the budget multifold is primarily attributed to the Politicians, as a huge portion of the funds allocated for the Metro was siphoned off for their private use. With dwindling resources, and increasing corruption, democracy is at stake. Honest Politicians who believe that urban sustainable development is the answer to the survival of democracy is the need of the hour in the megacities of India. 5.0 Trace impacts beyond the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boundaries Three ways the project relates to the objectives of its larger infrastructure system is 5.1 Ease the burden on the existing roads: There is a transportation crisis in Bangalore and it was hoped that the Metro would solve it. The number of cars that are being added to the roads per day is un-proportionate to development of the road infrastructure. Being a developing country, funds are prioritized and urban development is always lower down in the list compared to rural development and irrigation projects. The public transport has to be enhanced at a rapid pace for the city to be livable. The bus, metro, shared cabs, cycling and intercity trains all need to be developed together and in collaboration. There is not much collaboration between the different stakeholders who are responsible for the transportation infrastructure with the Building Development Authority. Currently where metro stations, are provided, the areas have not been made Metro ready. For example, the public is not

5|Page

engaged or informed of the upcoming changes that will occur because of the Metro. The roads are not prepared to take on the increase in traffic, to and from the metro station. Parking has not been allocated for by the Building Development Authority. Neither the Metro nor the BDA is ready to take on the responsibility of acquiring land for parking.

5.2 Improve the economic value of areas: Jayanagar has already seen an increase in property values in anticipation of the Metro commencement, By connecting the Metro to the outer areas of the city, the areas away from the city centre where Metro line is under construction, has also seen rise in value of both residential and commercial properties. The rental values have also gone up. The FAR has also been increased for all areas around the Metro Station. Connectivity to the newly developed areas around the fringes of the city, is crucial and vital for decongestion of the core areas in the city.

5.3 Improve the social and cultural value of the areas: By introducing the metro and facilitating development, people from different cultural and economic backgrounds move into these areas. This gentrification improves the cultural value and social value of the old development such as Jayanagar where it was occupied by predominantly old Bangaloreans or South Indians.

6.0 Synergies that can be identified with the other infrastructure systems :

6.1 Energy: The Metro has been designed to be very efficient in terms of energy consumption. It runs on electric power and draws power from the third line on the ground. It has also been designed keeping in mind public safety. It is said that even if a passenger falls on the metro line, he will not be electrocuted. The technology used for powering the Metro is supposed to be virtually maintenance free. For a developing country with limited funds maintenance costs have to be low for it to be sustainable over its life period. As the metro connectivity increase, the usage of the metro will also increase and the per capita consumption of fuel requirement will reduce. India is also experience one of the worst power crisis, with many of the old power plants life coming to an end and new power plants under construction. Thus it is critical that the energy efficiency of the Metro, should be of utmost importance.

6.2 Road Transport: The No. of Buses are 6162 and it services 5 million people everyday currently. Currently though there is one line of metro that is under operation, the last mile connectivity has not been addressed or resolved. The BMTC needs to work in synergy with the Metro Development to provide for more buses at a greater frequency to provide for the last mile connectivity. Ride Sharing services such as Uber will also be seen to play a major role in the last

6|Page

mile connectivity. ENVISION and the Jayanagar Metro Station. The East West Line has been operational for over a year. However there have been only limited users in comparison to the population of the city. The main reason being no last mile connectivity has been planned and implemented. The other reason being the delay of several years for completion of the other line of Phase 1.

7.0 ENVISION and the Jayanagar Metro Station: Envision would have been a useful set of guidelines for insertion of a Metro Station in an existing infrastructure. When US planned their major infrastructure, population was less dense, money and resources were plenty. In a third world country such as India which is the second most populated country after China, population, money and resources are all challenges that need to be accounted for during the construction of the Metro. Public opinion is preferably avoided by the Metro as, according to the Metro Authorities opinions are biased based on political or ulterior motives and in general would slow down the execution of the project. However in my opinion as per the Envision guidelines, Collaborative decision making between various stakeholders is integral to the process, and would have benefited the community at large. Collaborative working would have also benefited use of natural resources and would have improved the environmental quotient of the spaces around the Metro Line. Currently the parks around the station have become temporary illegal quarters for labour, and the streets around the station have become walls for public defecation as the Metro has not provided any temporary toilet facilities.

7.1 The Envision credits that are not applicable to the project: NW 1.3 Preserve Prime Farmland NW 1.5 Preserve floodplain functions NW 1.7 Preserve greenfields The metro station under construction is in the heart of the city, thus there are neither greenfields or farmlands. This would be applicable for the metro stations in the outer areas of the city, where farmlands and greenfields are being taken over for development of the city. Bangalore, the city where the station is located, is not a coastal city and thus protecting the floodplains is not applicable. 7.2 Six credits that the project has potential to reach high Levels of achievement

7|Page

Quality of Life QL 1.1 Improve community quality of life QL1.2 Stimulate sustainable growth and development QL 1.3 Develop local skills and capabilities Leadership LD 1.4 Provide for stakeholder involvement LD 2.2 Improve infrastructure integration Resource Allocation RA 1.3 Use recycled materials As mentioned earlier the project could have greatly benefited from following the Envision guidelines. Community quality of life could have been given high weightage if community requirements and their concerns were addressed and incorporated. The metro station could have also engaged Skill development of local people so as to both develop local skills and capabilities but give preference to employ more local people. Currently there is no effort made for infrastructure integration. Each runs on their own schedule which causes for chaotic and unplanned development. With regards to recycle materials, I raised the question to the Metro Publicity Officer. As per his response. At this point of time their priority is execution of the Metro in the most feasible and economical way. Designing with sustainable principles in mind is not their priority. Thus identifying and using of recycled materials for the Metro Construction is not in line with their planning Agenda. 8.0 Conclusion I am a strong advocate of making the planning process more inclusive rather than completing the plan and opening it for conversation only when there is an opposition from the public. India is one of the largest democratic countries in the world. Thus though one may want to open it for discussion and consider public opinion, this may delay execution of project as the time duration for public engagement may take much longer than in developed countries with far less population. The Metro will be opposed in any location it is proposed as there will be displacement of people in lakhs. With politics and corruption, the more it is open to the public the more they will have to shell out money as bribes. As per the Metro plan only 10% of the total area required is from private properties.

8|Page

The way forward in Bangalore would be to have eminent people from all walks of life who represent people’s opinion, involved in the brainstorming to come up with the Metro plan rather than completing the plan and then opening it to public discussions. It would also be recommended to give presentations in each area so the public is informed. In public areas around the station, photographs and information can be made as permanent installations for public to read about at their convenience. Measures taken by the METRO to minimize the environmental, social, cultural impact can also be part of the installation. Currently, the public is kept in the dark, with no discussions or involvement. Going to their website and reading the information is not very conducive. As per my interview with the Metro Publicity Officer, the media is said to misquote the information and thus currently, there is no medium in which we can get accurate information!

References 1. Khader Basha Syed, ‘Socio-Economic Impact of Namma Railu, An investment for Sustainable Future’. Praja- RAAG (Research Analysis and Advocacy Group) Website: www.praja.in

2. Keya Chakraborty and Prof TG Sitharam, ‘A Methodology to Evaluate Socio-Economic Impact of Existing Six Metro Railway Stations of Bangalore: from Dwellers Perspective’, March 2013, Center for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning, Indian Institute of Science. Website accessed on 29th March 2017: http://rlarrdc.org.in/images/Metro%20report.pdf

3. ‘Environment Impact Assessment and Mitigation Measures Detailed Project Report’, Chapter 13, Department of Environmental Sciences, Bangalore University

9|Page

Website Accessed on 29th March 2017: http://static.esgindia.org/campaigns/Tree%20felling/Hasire%20Usiru/research/Metro_DPR/chp_13_ bmrp_dpr.pdf

4. Official Website of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Website accessed on 29th March 2017 http://www.bmrc.co.in/English/

5. Interview with Mr.U.A.Vasanth Rao, Chief Public Relations Office, Namma Metro

10 | P a g e