BMRCL to spend over ₹10 cr. to make TBM resume tunnel work on Bannerghatta road

The money will go for piling work to build a concrete box and compensate shop owners for removing their structures and business loss

To make the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) continue work, which was stuck after encountering a massive pile of garbage 33 feet from the surface, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is spending more than ₹10 crore to construct a concrete box and compensating shop owners getting affected by the metro work.

Recently, the machine named Rudra was stuck near Lakkasandra after drilling work had commenced from Dairy Circle side. The metro officials were shocked to realise that it was not a hard rock, but a heap of trash blocking the way of the giant machine. Investigation by the metro officials revealed that four decades ago, the area used to be a granite quarry, later converted into a dumping site. The metro staff had found tyres, plastic buckets, shoes and other trash blocking the way of the machine. The officials had said that garbage pile for a distance of 40 meters was blocking the way of the machine.

To resume the tunneling work, the BMRCL had planned to build a concrete box by piling and also remove six structures on the surface as they were built on quarry land which was levelled using sand, debris and other materials. 

MD of the BMRCL Anjum Parwez told The Hindu that on the periphery of tunnel alignment, the reinforced piling work has already started and rest of the piling works will be completed in two months. Once the concrete box is ready, the machine will resume the drilling works.

Meanwhile, as a safety measure, the BMRCL has decided to remove several structures that were built on quarry land which was later levelled by the owners of the land using sand, debris and other materials. The officials said considering the safety of the structures and workers, it was decided to remove six structures. “As these structures are built on a quarry site which was later converted into a dumping site, it is not safe to continue the work. Owners will be compensated for demolishing the structure, land rent and business loss,” an official said. The BMRCL is spending over ₹10 crore for piling works and compensating the owners.

Murari Sharma, the owner of a marble shop, said, “After the TBM encountered the problem, the BMRCL said that they want to do the soil testing adjacent to the Bannerghatta Main Road in our area. Prior to starting the tunnel work, they had carried out soil testing near the main road and found hard rocks. Our establishments are located 3 to 4 meters from the road. Recent soil tests indicated that where the five to six structures are located used to be quarry land and levelled later. The BMRCL has requested us to relocate for four months. We have agreed to cooperate with them.” He said that marble shops in the area have been running their business for over three decades.