The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Defence Ministry sanctions 100 acres for metro rail project

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 27, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Defence Ministry sanctions 100 acres for metro rail project

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Ministry of Defence has sanctioned over 100 acres for the Bangalore metro rail project.

Hundred acres of Defence land under the management of the Air Force at Peenya, 0.49 acres of land belonging to the Army at Manekshaw Parade Ground, 0.68 acres of land at the Army Workshop on S.V. Road, 0.54 acres of Army land on Old Madras road and 0.037 acres of Army land at RSI have been sanctioned by the Minister of Defence for construction of the Bangalore metro. Land was sanction to the State Government authorities on August 23.

Of the 211.34 acres that is required for the project, 136.18 acres, including the 101.75 acres of Defence land belong to the Union Government, 53.46 acres belong to the State Government and 27.7 acres are private properties.

Announcing the sanction of land at a press conference on Friday, K.N. Shrivastava, Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (formerly Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Limited) said the entire process of getting Defence land declassified took eight months.

Mr. Shrivastava said the Chief Secretary was holding a meeting with State and Union government departments and private property owners, whose lands were required for the Bangalore metro project, for a discussion. "We hope to have the government lands also transferred to us within eight to ten days. Within a month, we hope to finish dealing with private property owners."

Tenders invited

He said the first phase of construction between Brigade station and Byyapanahalli was expected to begin in a month or two. "Tenders have been invited and contractors have been short-listed," he said.

Mr. Shrivastava said the cost of the Delhi metro had not shot up substantially because of the delay in project but because the length of the metro was extended.

He said the length of the elevated track had been extended by 3 km and the length of the underground track by two km.

The cost of the metro was revised to Rs. 10,571 crores.

He said in April, the Delhi metro generated a revenue of Rs. 26.17 crores, including a revenue surplus of Rs. 6.56 crores.

In the case of the Bangalore metro, he said the proposed cost of Rs. 6,296 crores included escalation of 5 per cent.

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