Metro Reaches on time It hinges on 7 clearances

All of Bangalore may be dreaming of Namma Metro running in their midst,buoyed by the success of the service on the Reach 1 between MG Road and Byappanahalli.But the Bangalore Metro Railway Corporation (BMRC) has made it clear that the possibility of the train running on time elsewhere in the city is subject to the fate of at least seven clearances pending with the state and central governments.
Namma Metro is being executed in two corridors in its Phase I: North-South and East-West.A part of the East-West corridor,Reach1,began its commercial operations on October 20.Work on six more reaches and two underground sections is under way.The entire Phase I is scheduled to be operational by 2014.BMRC has sounded an alert that pending clearances from the ministry of railways,Metro work on stretches other than Reach 1 could be delayed and costs could shoot up.
After the initial success of Reach 1 from Byappanahalli to MG Road,citizens are repeatedly asking when the other portions of the entire corridor would be completed so that the Metro benefits more people across the city.But BMRC has said speed of work will depend on the quickness with which clearances are given by the railway ministry.
The BMRC demystified some facts related to the completion of the entire project in its monthly newsletter released by the corporation giving updates to the city about the completion of each part of the other Reaches of phase 1.

For the first time,the Bangalore Metro Railway Corporation (BMRC) has admitted that there could be delay in completion of the other Reaches owing to seven pending clearances.In its monthly letter,it gave updates to the city on what may hold up the Metro progress. One of the hurdles is the controversy over the proposed shifting of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue near Vidhana Soudha.The state government is yet to permit the shifting of the statue.BMRC has informed the state government that delay in granting permission has already delayed the project by two months.There has been no response from the state government yet to BMRCs plea for granting immediate permission. The Railways too is yet to grant at least six clearances for various Namma Metro works.Though Reach 1 operations have begun,clearance is yet to be given for a passenger walkway from Byappanhalli station to Metro station. Crucial among the pending clearances from the Railways is the 66-meter span across the railway line in Malleswaram.The permission for building the Multi-Modal Passenger Integration Facility at Yeshwantpur,proposed to seamlessly blend Metro,railway and bus services,is also being awaited. Clearances are also pending on the construction of an underground Metro station at the City railway station,north ramp (Platform Road) and a pocket track. These long unsettled issues,if not resolved immediately,may have an impact on project timelines,costs and passenger inconveniences, BMRC has admitted.
PENDING CLEARANCES  Shifting of Ambedkar statue near Vidhana Soudha Construction of north ramp (Platform Road) Construction of pocket track Construction of underground station at City railway station near MG colony Construction of passenger walk-way at Byappanahalli station Construction of Multi-Modal Passenger Integration Facility at Yeshwantpur Construction of 66-metre span across the railway line at Malleswaram  PROGRESS CARD Reach 2 (From Magadi Road to Mysore Road): 75% of work completed on the viaduct and 99% on station foundations Reach 3 (Swastik to Yeshwantpur): Station work half way through Reach 3A (Yeshwantpur to Peenya): Piling under way Reach 3B (Peenya to Hesaraghatta): Piling in progress Reach 4 (KR Market to RV Road): All piers completed.67% to 82% work done on various stations Reach 4A (RV Road to Puttenahalli): Piling and station work in progress Underground section: Twin tunnelling done for 600 metres and 300 metres from Majestic end on East-West corridor and designing under way on North-South corridor.