Bengaluru: Commuters using the Veeranapalya Metro station on the upcoming Blue Line will have access to a dedicated shopping area, with planners designing the facility as a three-storey structure rather than the usual two levels seen at other stations.The station, given its location beside Manyata Tech Park, is expected to attract a large number of technology sector employees. BMRCL deputy chief engineer Vinod M Sasalatti said it will have the additional floor set aside for commercial activity.“…We have one property development area, which is the commercial area. Generally, most Metro stations have two levels. Here, the first level is for property development, then comes the concourse, and then the platform,” he explained at a workshop organised by the Bengaluru Mobility Federation Saturday.Sasalatti shared updates on other Blue Line stations in the north-east corridor. Civil works at Horamavu station were at an advanced stage, while progress at HRBR Layout station lagged behind neighbouring Kalyan Nagar and Kasturinagar stations.Commuters also received encouraging news about the Pink Line. The Nagawara underground station, which will connect with the Blue Line through an elevated interchange, is nearing completion. “As far as the underground station is concerned, we’re at a very advanced stage. Almost 98% of the work is done in the case of the Pink Line. Pink Line works will be over around Dec 2026. Depending on progress, it might shift by one or two months,” Sasalatti said.Activists slam directorateThe workshop also exposed growing frustration among mobility activists about the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (Dult). Participants said the agency, meant to coordinate various transport bodies, remained largely inaccessible.“Despite several outreaches, we did not hear back from Dult either to attend a mobility event or to engage with us,” said R Rajagopalan of the Bengaluru Mobility Federation. Activists argued that weak coordination continued to hamper integrated transport planning in the city.
