Metro Express: should the route be reviewed?

Since the announcement of the start of the works for the Metro Express, the project has been strongly contested by many. The reason: the route of the Metro Express is forcing families to evict their houses and lands and also some areas are prone to landslides. Should the government change the route of the Metro Express?

Following the signing of the contract by Larsen & Toubro for Rs 18.8 billion, the construction works of the Metro Express project have already started. The Metro will have 19 stations with a departure and arrival points from Jan Palach South in Curepipe to the ‘Gare du Nord’ in Port Louis.

However the route that the Metro will take is creating many upheavals among the population. Indeed, families living at La Butte and Cite Barkly, where stations will be constructed, have received notices requiring the evacuation of their properties. They fear of having nowhere to go and the idea of restarting their lives from scratch after years of sacrifice. Moreover observers believe that we are going towards major disasters with the Metro Express project.

In fact, a report by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), dated June 2015, cites 37 regions as “landslide prone regions”. The report stipulates that some of those areas on the route of the Metro Express are found nearby, namely at La Montée S of Grand-Riviere-North-West, Mgr Leen street at La Butte and the Old Moka Road at Camp-Chapelon. The report also states that severe measures will have to be taken to protect these areas from landslides as many homes would be at risk.

La Butte Residents’ Support Committee has indeed linked the project to the landslide phenomenon, especially since the collapse of part of the road at La Butte due to ongoing works on a private construction site. This unforeseen event has raised more doubts as to the reliability of the soil. Should the government hold a referendum to review the project or change the route of the Metro Express?

Louis Eddy Joson: “The project should be stopped”

The president of the NGO ‘Debout Citoyen’ is categorical. It is not the route of the Metro Express that needs to change, but the project itself should be stopped. For Louis Eddy Joson, the Metro project will greatly affect the social life of Mauritian people, especially those living at La Butte and Cite Barkly. “The project will bring ruptures in the lives of people. It will create a social disaster. The project is not in the interest of the Mauritian people,” he utters.

Louis Eddy Joson believes that the project is a threat. “The project represents several dangers as stipulated in the report by the Japan International Cooperation. It predicts landslides in La Butte and Camp-Chapelon and we have already seen what has happened.” Moreover, he trusts that with the next excavations for the Metro project, houses found near the area of construction will be affected. “Following the landslides, JAIKA installed steel towers to protect the houses. During the excavations for the Metro project, there will inevitably be shocks and vibrations and houses may collapse,” he explains. He also argues that the land at La Butte is damaged and very sensitive to construction works.

The project represents several dangers as stipulated in the report by the Japan International Cooperation. It predicts landslides in La Butte and Camp-Chapelon and we have already seen what has happened."

Louis Eddy Joson explains that he has done a study himself and has seen that buses are full during morning peak hours. “Would people leave buses to travel in the Metro? Will people be willing to stand in the Metro from Curepipe to Port Louis? With all the issues raised by JAIKA, there are too many doubts to move forward with the project.” He says that he is unable to understand how the government is going to proceed with the project. He deplores that the government has ignored the realities of Mauritius as well as alternative modes of transport. “Many countries have gone bankrupt with this transportation system. New flyovers would have solved the problem of traffic congestion. The government should take Rs 10 billion out of the grant from India to construct flyovers. Our future generations are going to be heavily indebted by this,” he believes.

On Tuesday 29 August, the ‘NGO Debout Citoyen’ sent a letter to the authorities calling for the immediate end of the Metro Express project due to the risk of landslides. The formal notice was given to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Housing and Lands and the Environment, as well as to Metro Express Ltd. The NGO has issued an ultimatum and will go forward with an application for injunction at the Supreme Court if the project is not stopped.

Dev Beekhary: “No change of route”

According to the Communications Manager for the Metro Express Ltd and advisor to Minister Mentor’s office, the government has no intention of changing the route. For Dev Beekhary, the Metro Express project is only the continuum of the project which was announced since 2013 by the former government. “No changes will be brought to the project. Everything has been established and all points have been taken into consideration. The contract has already been signed and in the agreement signed with the builder several aspects have been considered such as the geotechnical study of the soil at sensitive locations. Consultation with Singapore experts has also taken place and they have looked into the best options regarding the construction of the route. For example, aspects such as the sound pollution or the number of trees to be taken down and replanted have been studied and the necessary will be done. Builders will decide on the best techniques to be applied to make the route and the rails reliable. There are no flaws in the Metro Express project,” he says.

Several aspects have been considered such as the geotechnical study of the soil at sensitive locations. Consultation with Singapore experts has also taken place and they have looked into the best options regarding the construction of the route."

Dev Beekhary states that there are no risks whatsoever with the construction of the Metro Express. “Do people believe that the government will go forward with a project if it represented major dangers for both the people and the environment?” Regarding the evacuation of many families residing at La Butte and Cite Barkly, the Communications Manager for the Metro Express Ltd and advisor to Minister Mentor’s office says that these people are illegally occupying these lands. “Many of those lands figure in the public domain. In order to provide these people with a solution, urban engineers will be meeting them.”

When queried on the recent landslides at La Butte, Dev Beekhary explains that it results from the failure to respect the excavation plans. “The builder has excavated under the road instead of leaving a ‘tampon zone’. This has caused the landslide. It is not a natural phenomenon. There is thus no danger for the Metro Express.”