45 roads to be developed under TenderSURE

The project will be undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 600 cr

The BBMP has decided to develop 45 roads covering 72 km under the TenderSURE (Specifications for Urban Road Execution) scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 600 crore. 

These roads will cost three times more than the normal tar roads, and require minimum maintenance and last for a longer period, about 20 years.

“The government has already sanctioned about Rs 200 crore, the rest the Palike will pool in,” said BBMP Commissioner Lakshminarayana. Work on the TenderSURE roads that have been designed by a City-based NGO will be executed by private builders. Civic agencies including BWSSB and Bescom will work on a common platform with the BBMP to ensure that the plan is properly executed.

Lakshminarayana said there will be uniform pedestrian walks, cycle paths, utility depths and bus bays, which will ensure that the roads are maintained well for long. A separate channel would be created for all the utilities to be laid under the roads, by digging either side of the road. 

Will take one year

“To lay normal roads, it takes a week’s time, while construction of road under TenderSURE will take a year. Once these 45 roads are built, we will take up another 30 roads,” he explained. The NAPC has been assigned the task to lay seven roads covering a stretch of 9.15 km. “The plan was sent to the Cabinet thrice and was sent back without approval. The fourth time the government accepted the proposal,” he said.

Kiran Mazumder Shaw of Biocon said no one came forward initially when the tender was floated. “Capital investment to build such roads will be higher. However, it is going to give us back much more,” she said.

“It is for the first time in the country that any government has taken an initiative to re-design roads similar to the one in front of the UB City,” said Shaw.

Ugandhar Dhanyamraju, Chief Operating Officer, NAPC, said every effort will be made to ensure minimum inconvenience is caused. “Stretches as small as 500 metres would be dug at once and most work will be done only in the night,” he said. 

Dhanyamraju said that the entire month of December would be spent on micro-planning to look into the strategies such as traffic diversions, prioritising the roads and other associated aspects. “We hope to begin with St Marks Road,” he added. The NAPC will use an electro-magnetic sensor to mark the utilities. 

On a pilot basis

Swathi Ramanathan, an architect from Jana Urban Space, who has designed 12 roads, said that the project was started in 2009. “Warton Road and Vittal Mallya Road were taken up on a pilot basis. Even now, you can see how the roads are,” she said. 

MLA Haris said they would have skywalks with escalators near schools to ensure safety when the work is on.

As the work progresses, it will be updated on the website www.ichangemycity.com, which will also act as a forum for the people to post their problems.

CNR Rao Circle underpass to be ready by January

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner M Lakshminarayana has said that the CNR Rao Circle underpass will be completed by the end of January 2014.

During the inspection of the underpass along with other BBMP officers on Monday, Lakshminarayana said the work had gained momentum after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s inspection in September: “The project is being jointly executed by the East Coast Constructions and Industries (ECCI) and Madhava Hytech at a total cost of Rs 30 crore. Work amounting to Rs 21 crore has already been completed.” He also said the carriageway of the underpass connecting Malleswaram and Yeshwantpur will be operational within the next 15 days. 

The Commissioner also inspected Okalipuram junction where a signal-free corridor project has been proposed. He said the State government has given its nod for the project and soil testing activity for the project had begun. “We have obtained permission from Anil Kumar Agarwal, Division Railway Manager (DRM), South Western Railways and Rs 70 crore has been deposited with the Railways,” Laxminarayana added.

Chairperson of BBMP’s standing committee for major works B Somashekar, who was present during the inspection, told Deccan Herald: “The CNR Rao underpass work started in the year 2010 and was supposed to end by December 2013 as per Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s directions. 

However, due to factors like rains and problems with the previous contractor, the project was delayed. About 70 per cent of the work has been finished. Once the Y-shaped underpass is operational, it will ensure smoother traffic flow towards Yeshwantpur-Malleswaram and Yeshwantpur-Mekhri Circle.We are sure that the project will be completed by January.”

CM sanctions Rs 560 crore for restoring 249 City roads

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sanctioned Rs 560 crore, earlier this week, for the restoration of major roads in Bangalore.

Sources in the government told  here that the chief minister had signed the papers to sanction the amount in two phases. Both the phases, to repair and re-lay 249 roads, will be taken up exclusively by the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL). 

Under the first phase, it is said that, KRIDL has been asked to take up 139 of the worst roads at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. 

Once the work on these roads are completed, the government will start the second phase between April-May 2014 to complete the restoration of the remaining 110 roads at a cost of Rs 160 crore.

According to the sources, Siddaramaiah has expressed his views directly to the top officials of KRIDL and told them to complete the task swiftly and proficiently. 

It is said that the government grants were provided as result of the ‘near bankruptcy’ of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and, its inability to complete the project with the given time frame. 

No tendering 

It is said that the government was skeptical about awarding the projects under the tender process on account of delays it may cause in completing the road restoration work before the next monsoon season. Further, it was also said that the government was not comfortable with the rates which were likely to be quoted by contractors, which may exceed 10 to 20 per cent more than the actual cost. 

KRIDL, it is said, will be completing the entire project at the Scheduled of Rates (SR) quoted by the Public Works Department (PWD) for any government project.

Bangalore Airport to be renamed Kempegowda International Airport on Dec 14

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the promoters of Bengaluru International Airport, said they would change the name of the airport to Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, with the opening of the new Terminal 1A on December 14. 

The new terminal will be inaugurated by chief minister Siddaramaiah and Union civil aviation minister Ajith Singh. "The new name honours Kempegowda, the founding father of Bangalore, and the renaming is being timed with the opening of the T1A where the facilities, interiors and exteriors mirror the rich culture of Karnataka and the vibrant colours of the Garden City," said G V Sanjay Reddy, MD, BIAL. 

The expanded terminal, which spans over 150,500 sq meters, will more than double the floor space area of the current terminal. In addition, the new terminal will have a Code F aerobridge to accommodate an Airbus A380 aircraft. T1A will increase the number of check-in counters from 53 to 86, immigration counters from 18 to 24, and baggage reclaim belts from nine to 13. 

Soon after the announcement of the T1A expansion, BIAL had launched the Smile Bengaluru campaign, inviting citizens to share their views on what they would like to see in the new terminal. "This is India's first airport built in collaboration with the citizens of Bangalore and the traveller community at large making it a truly inclusive airport," said BIAL.

Speed train to airport back on board after CM visit to China

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's eight-minute, 50-km high-speed ride from Shanghai city to Pudong International Airport on an electro-magnetic train during his recent visit to China may change the way Bangalore commutes.

A Rs 6,689-crore project for a 37-km high-speed rail link (HSRL) between Bangalore city and Bangalore International Airport, which was considered dead and buried, is back on the drawing board.

The link will cut travel time to airport to around 20 minutes.

Sources in the finance, urban development and infrastructure departments said HSRL, put on the back burner by the erstwhile BJP government that favoured extension of Bangalore Metro, was witnessing renewed interest in the past few weeks.

The feasibility of HSRL is once again before the finance department for consideration. "It is true a file regarding revival of the high-speed rail link to the airport has come to us,'' sources in the department said.

First proposed during the planning stage of Bangalore International Airport in 2001-02, when S M Krishna of Congress was the chief minister, HSRL came to the request for proposal stage following the shortlisting of five consortia to implement the project in 2011. It was shelved in favour of Metro Phase II due to the high cost involved.

HSRL was to be implemented in public-private partnership by the state and central governments with funding from Japan Bank for International Cooperation and private consortia.

The central government was to provide viability gap funding to the tune of Rs 1,047 crore.

The project received a lot of impetus between 2006 and 2011 before it was abandoned.

"A proposal on feasibility of HSRL and the Metro phase II link (from Nagwara) to the new airport has been placed before the finance department. We have recommended extension of the Metro,'' an official in the urban development department said.

Sources said there was pressure from New Delhi as well for reconsideration of HSRL to ensure smooth connectivity to the city.

An NH-like ring road is in the works: Minister State government dazzles Union minister Oscar Fernandes with plan for a 320-km road connecting all satellite towns within a 50-km radius of Blore

If a proposal by the state government is approved by the Centre,Bangalore could become the first city in the country to be encircled by a ring road that will be as good as a National Highway.The National Highway Ring Road will be 320 km long and connect 10 satellite towns around the IT city.The ambitious plan involves upgrading 200 kilometres of state highways to the standard of National Highways.The rest will be made up by 120 km of National Highway 207.State highways are built and maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD).National Highways Authority of India is responsible for the development,maintenance and management of National Highways.There is a section in the PWD to take care of the needs of National Highways in the state.

K Jaiprakash,chief engineer,National Highway Zone in the state PWD,said,In the context of the proposed road,NH 207 connects Dobbespet in Bangalore Rural district to Doddaballapur,Devanahalli,Hoskote and Sarjapur.

At this point,state highways will take you to Anekal,Kanakapura,Ramnagar,Magadi and back to Dobbespet. 

The proposal and its benefits were presented to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Oscar Fernandes.Sources in the PWD claimed that the Union minister was impressed and promised all possible assistance from the Centre.

PWD minister K C Mahadevappa said,I accompanied the chief minister to the meeting last week with the Union minister.Fernandes readily gave his consent to the project and directed us to submit a detailed project report in a months time.We aim to complete the project in less than two years and make Bangalore the first city in the country to be encircled by a road built to the standards of a National Highway. 

A senior executive engineer of the PWD said,The previous government had begun creating satellite towns to decongest Bangalore and ensure growth evenly around the city.The NH Ring Road project will cover the 10 satellite towns within a radius of 50 km from the core of the city.

We are estimating the cost of implementing the project and preparing a feasibility report.Among other things,we have to decide whether the road should be toll free or charge a fee in select portions.

Hebbal-Yelahanka Elevated Expressway

Hebbal-Yelahanka Elevated Expressway Update

Metro Phase II work in Bangalore takes off, with KIADB starting the land acquisition process. Actual work is supposed to start by January 2014.

Metro Phase II work takes off, with KIADB starting the land acquisition process.

Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) conducted the first hearing for the owners of properties to be acquired for alignment of Metro Phase II on 4 September, 2013. The properties notified were for Ragigudda and Silk Board stations, on RV Road- Bommasandra line. 

Metro is all geared up to start the Phase-II work by January 2014. To achieve this target, the process of identification of properties was already initiated by KIADB officers deputed to the Metro, in the last few weeks. 

In the first hearing, only the properties required for building Ragigudda and Silk Board stations received notification. KIADB issued notifications to 55 properties out of which 10 properties had been awarded by BBMP to poor people, way back in 1980’s. 

Property owners resign to their fate 

Only 20 owners of properties in question were present at the hearing held at the KIADB office, in Nrupathunga Road. Most of them were concerned over losing their property partially. Most of them were wondering what will they do with the partial land. They wanted BMRCL to take entire land and or compensate them with good amount.

Malleswaram’s own twin towers

Bustling Malleswaram will get two skyscrapers — a 32-storeyed residential complex and a 27-storeyed commercial complex — adjacent to Mantri Square and Sampige Road Metro Station. The twin towers will be 112.9 metres and 100.85 metres tall respectively.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which had withheld approval for the joint building plan submitted by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) and Mantri Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., finally sanctioned the plan on August 22.

With the approval, Mantri, whose 5.04 acres of land was acquired by BMRCL for Sampige Road Metro Station, can complete not only the metro station with two basements, one ground and one upper floor, but also build a residential tower with three basements, one ground and 32 floors, and a commercial/office tower with three basements, one ground and 27 upper floors.

The metro station will be known as Mantri Square Sampige Road Station by virtue of the PPP agreement between BMRCL and Mantri.

The total built up area of all the three structures would come up to 1,77,885.10 sq mt on 58,836.91 sq mt of land. Mantri has to leave 12,286 sq mt of land in the acquired area for the formation of a 24-mt-wide four-lane road for the use of occupants and visitors of the residential and commercial towers.

While residents of Malleswaram are already crying hoarse over the traffic logjam owing to Mantri Square abutting Sampige Road, traffic experts feel that the twin towers might not impact the traffic flow in the vicinity. M.N. Sreehari, traffic engineering expert, said the 24-mt-wide road should take care of the traffic emanating from the twin towers. The road will be open to the public after the construction of the metro station, he said.

ALLEGED ENCROACHMENT

BBMP had been refusing approval on the ground that Mantri Developers had encroached upon 2 acres 11 guntas of government land. It could obtain transferable development rights (TDR) after handing over this encroached land to BBMP for the construction of a road, the palike had argued.

While the government had been directing the BBMP to approve the plan, the previous Commissioner had asked the government to rescind the orders since Mantri was found to have encroached upon the land conclusively by the Survey and Settlement Department. On a writ petition by Mantri, a single judge of the High Court had on April 15 directed the palike to approve the plan. The palike’s appeal against this order was disposed of by a division bench on June 18, directing BBMP to approve the plan. The court had said Mantri could be compelled to surrender the TDR if the court [in a separate pending case] finds that it had actually encroached government land. Following this, BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana ordered approval of the plan on July 26 and Joint Director (Town Planning) approved the plan on August 22.

12 days, and pothole is back on MG Road

Just 12 days after Bangalore Mirror front-paged a story (‘Seven-year ditch’) on an ugly pothole marring the appearance of the city’s showpiece MG Road, the pothole, which was smoothened over post-haste after our report, has resurfaced.

The BBMP is washing its hands of any obligation to repair the pothole a second time. It says it is the duty of the Metro to do the job. 

BBMP east zone joint commissioner K S Venkateshappa said, “After it was reported in Bangalore Mirror, our officials immediately filled up the pothole. But it is not our responsibility to take care of potholes along the Metro stretch. We repaired it because people will point fingers at BBMP, but why doesn’t the Metro take a call on it? The culprit is the Metro viaduct above the pothole. Rain water falls copiously at that point and has undone the repairs to the pothole. We repaired it once; now it is the Metro’s job.”

BMRCL’s chief PRO Yashavanth Chavan admitted that it was the Metro’s responsibility. He said, “We are looking into why water is falling from the viaduct on MG Road and are seeking a technical solution to the problem. BMRCL is a public service provider and we will take care of the pothole.”

Bangalore Traders Association (M G Road) president Bhoopalam Srinath has squarely blamed BMRCL for the existence of the pothole on MG Road. “The pothole developed after water from the viaduct parapet hit the road below with a huge impact during the rains,” he said. 

BBMP’s superintendent engineer (road infrastructure) K T Nagaraj said, “It is the responsibility of Metro officials to take up pothole-filling work.” 

Initially, BBMP had planned to take up white-topping (concretising) work on the seven-km stretch from Anil Kumble Circle to Byappanahalli at a cost of Rs 111 crore. But its cash-strapped condition forced the civic body to hand over the project to BMRCL. "We will pay our 50 per cent share; now it is their responsibility to take up the white-topping work," Nagaraj said. 

BIAL Expressway Update

BIAL Update

Minister tells BMRCL not to delay Metro Phase II work

Namma Metro’s Phase-1 might have seen several delays in its implementation, but the State government is keen that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) take precautions to avoid any delays while implementing its Phase-2, an official clearance for which is still awaited.

Transport and Bangalore City in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy communicated the same to the BMRCL officials in a review meeting on Saturday.

After taking stock of the progress of the project and an update on the various proposals under the Phase II, ahead of the crucial Public Investment Board (PIB) meeting on June 25, Reddy said that he would review the project once every three months.

The BMRCL officials said the Phase-1 was delayed mainly due to late awarding of contracts for the underground section. “This almost extended the project by 24 months,” a source said.

The government is likely to stick to the decision of the high- powered committee to realign the RV Road-Bommasandra line under Namma Metro Phase-2 near Jayadeva Hospital, said sources. While stating that the government is keen on not disturbing the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Reddy said that it is, at the same time, concerned about the individuals whose properties are to be razed for the changed alignment.

Over 94 properties, including apartments of more than 150 senior citizens, will be razed due to the change in alignment. They had urged the government to take the line underground. BMRCL Managing Director N Sivasailam made a presentation to the minister on Phase-2. While rumours were rife about the presentation being about the realignment issue, discussing various technicalities, Sivasailam has maintained that it was in connection with the PIB meeting.

Is Metro realignment the only alternative?

Even as the Metro Phase-II is hitting the headlines for the realignment issue raised by the Jayadeva Hospital, citizens have started questioning the process. Here’s Citizen Action Forum’s N Mukunda’s take on this.

Metro Phase-I has not completed, but the plans for Phase-II have already begun. File Pic.

The new alignment near Jayadeva Hospital has caused panic among residents that many residential properties and commercial buildings on Bannerghatta Road would be demolished.

Here are some thoughts on this.

> Why public consultation with residents, experts,users ,metro officials and elected representatives is not being held on pros and cons, alternative routes etc, like the public consultation held by Additional Chief Secretary regarding Signal-free corridor of Koramangala? The project was scrapped unanimously by all stakeholders on direction of the High Court, based on the PIL filed by Citizen Action Forum and other Resident’s Welfare Associations.

> While the Metro is passing via Vani Vilas hospital and Bangalore Hospital, R V Road where similar surgeries are conducted, how the vibration will affect the patients in only Jayadeva?

> Instead of demolishing many other buildings by realigning the path, why Jayadeva can’t be shifted to Jayanagar General Hospital premises by constructing additional floors or build it on Jayanagar 4th T block bus depot?

> Alternatively multilocational Jayadeva Hospitals can be constructed across Bangalore.

> It is more easy to demolish a residential or private building rather than a government-owned building

> When Phase-I Metro is not completed in R V Road, why should the government think of Phase-II?

> Why underground metro or monorail or running of more BMTC buses cannot be considered instead of demolishing properties?

A> committee of residents, Metro, Jayadeva, elected representatives and experts should be constituted to look for practical alternative.

Impasse over construction of metro station continues

BBMP yet to sanction plan for Sampige Road station-tower

The impasse over the construction of Sampige Road Metro Station and commercial tower under the first-ever pubic-private partnership of Namma Metro continues, with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) refusing to sanction the building plan for the station-tower.

The palike is sticking to its guns that the private partner, Mantri Developers, has encroached upon government land and handed it over for construction of a road by obtaining transferable development rights (TDR).

A high power committee of the government on March 7 directed the BBMP to give approval.

Also, the High Court of Karnataka passed a similar order on April 15.

However, the then BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah wrote to the government in May urging it to withdraw the direction since a joint committee of the palike had established the encroachment even as the BBMP filed an appeal against the single judge order.

The BBMP constituted the committee of Deputy Commissioners of health, estate and land acquisition to examine the allegations of people’s representatives that Hamara Shelters, a concern owned by Mantri, had encroached upon two acres, eleven-and-a-half guntas of government land.

On the other hand, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) and Mantri Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. are making efforts to get the plan sanctioned for the joint development of the property. While the Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department had directed BBMP to sanction the plan in eight days on November 27, 2012, a high power committee on March 7, 2013 issued similar directions after the BBMP failed to grant the approval.

Work suffers

BMRCL Managing Director N. Sivasailam replied to an email communiqué from The Hindu stating that the station buildings had been partially completed.

The other components such as parking space, station access, etc., remained incomplete as they are integrated with the facility of the joint development partner [commercial tower], which has to be approved by the BBMP.

He said, “The matter is sub-judice and there is an order of the High Court to grant approval to the plan subject to conditions which we have complied with. The BBMP has moved court (after taking one week time from court to grant approval) but there is no stay order. At this stage, we expect the BBMP to comply with the order of the court which is based on the decision of the State government directing the BBMP to accord approval to the plan.”

Mr. Sivasailam said, “We wait patiently. Of course, in this impasse, the work is suffering, as the joint development partner is unable to move ahead both in physical and financial terms as further release of funds for further development is conditional to formal plan approval by the regulator.”

Awaiting response

BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana said that Mr. Siddaiah had written to the government to withdraw the directions (to grant approval for the joint development). “We are awaiting government response to that letter.”

Asked whether the palike would grant approval if the government directs so, Mr. Lakshminarayana said that the BBMP would have to examine such directions

BIAL Expansion Update

BBMP to acquire 485 properties for signal-free corridor project

Proposal submitted to Revenue Department four months ago

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will acquire as many as 485 private and government properties for its ambitious five signal-free corridors in this City.

The Palike had sent a proposal for the acquisition of land to the Revenue department four months ago. It is expecting the necessary clearances this week. In this regard, the BBMP Commissioner, M Lakshminarayana, had a meeting with the Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, on Tuesday where he briefed him about the BBMP budget, expected financial assistance from the State government and the status of infrastructure projects, including the five signal-free corridors.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Lakshminarayana said, “We have requested the chief minister to give clearance to start these projects, which are pending before the State government for several months.”

These projects would cost an estimated Rs 618 crores. Already the contractor firms have been selected to execute the project and a proposal has been sent to the government for clearance.

According to BBMP sources, the total extent of the properties to be acquired is about 17 acres and 20 guntas of which maximum 154 properties will be acquired for Vellara Junction to NH-4 Kundalahalli-Whitefield. 

Although the Palike’s financial health is bad, it will offer monetary compensation to the property losers instead of giving them Transferable Development Rights (TDR). A senior Palike officer said, “We tried the TDR route to acquire land but individual property holders do not seem to be quite impressed with it. So, we are left with only option of paying monetary compensation.”

At a recent meeting, Lakshminarayana told the BBMP engineers to gear up for these infrastructure projects, which were long pending and are much needed to ease traffic congestion. He also reviewed the status of projects relating to widening of roads.

Name of the Project l Properties l Extent required in Sqft

Hosur Road (from) Central Silk Board Junction to Vellara Junction l 81 l 99,973

Mysore Road to Central Silk Board Junction l 137 l 93,594

Dr Rajkumar Road (from) Yeshwantpur Circle to Okalipuram Rd l 19 l 29,048

Vellara Junction to NH-4 Kundalahalli Whitefield l 154 l 3,73,845

Mehkri Circle to Hope Farm l 94 l 1,65,084

Underpass at Kadirenahalli

The signal-free corridor project will also include another infrastructure surgery near Kadirenahalli junction on the cross road that leads to Dayananda Sagar group of institutions. The Palike has planned another underpass there with an expenditure of Rs 11 crore.

Both the junctions, Kadirenahalli and the cross road, are hardly 200 metres away. While planning to clear the traffic bottleneck at the junction, BBMP engineers did not take Sagar institutions junction into consideration. As a result, vehicles which come from Kittur Rani Chennamma junction near DG Petrol Pump and ply beneath the Kadirenahalli underpass have to abruptly stop at the Sagar institutions junction. This faulty planning has led to many accidents at the junction besides causing regular traffic jams.

Metro trials on Peenya corridor may begin on June 10

Metro trials on Peenya corridor may begin on June 10

Railway Design and Standards organization|Namma Metro|KIMS Hospital|BMRC

BANGALORE: Full-speed trials on the Peenya-Sriramapuram stretch of Namma Metro's northern line are set to begin from June 10. They will be extended up to Sampige Road Metro Station by July 8.

These trials allow the rakes to run up to their full speed of 80kmph, thereby testing track strength and distance brake systems of the rakes. Oscillation trials, as these trials are also called, will require each train to travel 750km each from one end to the other and clear all braking and speed tests.

The Peenya-Sampige Road line was slated to begin operations in mid-2013, but a host of issues delayed the work. This was supposed to be the second stretch of Namma Metro to become functional. However, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) officials are non-committal on when the operations will begin.

The 9.9km Peenya-Sampige Road stretch consists of Reach 3 (Yeshwantpur-Sampige Road) and Reach 3A (Peenya-Yeshwantpur). There will be 10 stations on the stretch. Work is afoot on further extension on this corridor - Reach 3B - between Peenya and Hesaraghatta.

Nods awaited

Namma Metro is still waiting for two more technical clearances at the Peenya depot, including one on exemption from provision of check rails, which are used in curves. The irony is that until the check rail clearance is received, BMRC can't begin oscillation trials between Peenya depot and Sampige Road stations. The approvals are expected to come from Railway Design and Standards organization (RDSO), headquartered in Lucknow. BMRC has sent proposals to the Railway Board through the commissioner of railway safety.

Civil work, however, continues to meander on the northern corridor. According to BMRC, 78% of civil work is over in Yeshwantpur, Soap Factory and Mahalakshmi Layout stations, while 74% of work has been completed in Rajajinagar, Kuvempu Road and Srirampuram stations. Granite flooring, and electrical and mechanical fittings are under way. Spans totaling up to a length of 66 metre have been laid over railway lines at Srirampuram. However, three spans between six piers are yet to be laid between Yeshwantpur and Peenya.

Phase II Approval on fast track

Karnataka may get more projects before LS poll

Eyeing the coming Lok Sabha elections, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is set to push through developmental projects aggressively in Karnataka, even as the Siddaramaiah-led State government's functioning is likely to be subjected to intense scrutiny by the Congress high command.

The UPA government is also expected to clear the long-pending Phase II project of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, for Rs 14,774 crore, soon. The project had been waiting for the Centre’s clearance for several months. Another major project—the Mumbai-Bangalore-Chennai Industrial Corridor—announced in this year's railways budget is likely to take shape as the Ministries of Railway and Commerce are to start preparatory works on it soon.

Things to do

- The Centre is expected to clear Phase II project of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, for Rs 14,774 crore.

At last, BBMP transfers Binny Mills land to Rlys

The Bangalore division of the South Western Railways (SWR) has finally managed to get 3.3 acres of land of the Binny Mills area to help them expand the City Railway Station.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), in a land swap, has allotted the Binny Mills property to the Railways, in exchange of 3.16 acres of Railways land. 

The SWR authorities have provided the BBMP 3.16 acres of Railway land for the construction of the Okalipuram Corridor, a flyover connecting Majestic to Fountain Circle in Rajajinagar. 

The 16-acre Binny Mills land has been a demand of the SWR authorities for a long time so as to allow the expansion of the fast-choking City Railway Station. 

“Though our primary demand for more land remains pending, the allotted 3.3 acres will help the City Railway station expand the pit line from its present 18-coach facility to a 24-coach facility and improve efficiency," said Divisional Manager Anil Kumar Agarwal. 

He added that the new facility could possibly ease some pressure off the City Railway Station, but ideally, the station needed a lot more land in order to meet its increasing passenger footfalls. 

Partial notification 

Agarwal said Railways was yet to get complete possession of the land. He said, “On February 12, only a partial notification was issued by the BBMP. The complete possession has been pending since then.” 

Agarwal said the delay was due to the change in government and that he was expecting the complete possession shortly. 

He said that he was not too optimistic about any further acquisition of the Binny Mills land as the State government had planned to acquire the rest of the land for its commuter rail project, which will help connect the satellite towns to the Central Business District.

Elevated Road To Airport to be ready year end

Reach to be operational in August 2013

Malleswaram 66 m span update

Land acquisition for Metro phase II faces poll hurdle

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is ready with the land acquisition plan for executing phase II of the Namma Metro project. 

However, the model code of conduct for the elections has come in the way of the notification and tendering process, which may have to wait till May second week.

BMRCL officials said they had written to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), asking it to issue preliminary notification for the acquisition of land necessary for the construction of corridors. 

However, KIADB is not in a position to do so as no fresh tenders can be floated with the code of conduct in place, said an official. 

Sources in KIADB said they had written to the Election Commission in this regard and they were awaiting response.

Phase II includes four extension lines and two new lines with a total length of 72 km, to be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 26,405 crore. 

Properties identified

The BMRCL has identified a total of 941 immovable properties (both private and public) along the alignment of the project corridors under phase II. 

While 151 properties have been identified along the 15.5-km line from Baiyyappanahalli to Whitefield, for the 6.45-km line between Mysore Road terminal to Kengeri, there are 57 properties. 

For the 3.77-km line between Hesaraghatta Cross and BIEC along Tumkur Road, the number is 32. For the 6.29-km line between Puttenahalli Cross and Anjanapura, it is 71. 

For the 18.82-km line from R V Road to Bommasandra, it is 212; and for the 21.25-km Gottigere-IIMB-Nagavara line, the number is 418.

Needed connectivity

Once both the phases of Namma Metro are complete, they will provide connectivity from Majestic to Whitefield in the East, Kengeri in the West, BIEC along Tumkur Road in the North and Anjanapura Township in the South. 

Also, two new lanes under phase II from Jayanagar to Electronics City and Nagavara to Gottigere are expected. While phase I is expected to be operational by the end of 2014, phase II is expected to be completed by 2017-18.

Gali Anjaneya road over drain thrown open to traffic

Nearly seven years after it was taken up, the road over the major drain of the Vrushabhavati Valley has been thrown open to traffic. This has helped ease congestion to some extent on Mysore Road that is witnessing a slew of infrastructure projects.

According to a senior official from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the bridge can now be used by residents of Vijayanagar and RPC Layout to go directly to Mysore Road, near the Gali Anjaneya Temple. They had to earlier come to KIMCO Junction on Mysore Road via Deepanjali Nagar.

Though the civic body issued the work order in 2005, the work was taken up in 2006 at an estimated cost of Rs. 20.83 crore. The deadline for the project, which was entrusted to NPCC, was postponed several times, thereby escalating the project cost to Rs. 30 crore.

The bridge has been designed to have clockwise vehicular movement, thereby easing traffic on Mysore Road.

The official conceded that the bridge should have had one-in-10 slope (i.e., one foot slope for every 10 ft). This would have taken the bridge till the mosque on Mysore Road, opposite Gali Anjaneya Temple. “We were forced to alter the plans following resistance from the people,” the official said.

However, this created a bottleneck near the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s Satellite Bus Stand on Mysore Road.

The road between Gali Anjaneya Temple and the satellite bus stand is very narrow. Chaos and confusion was witnessed here minutes after traffic was allowed on the bridge.

The official said that there was a proposal to provide a down ramp to the bus stand. “We asked KSRTC to pay Rs. 10 crore for it. They refused and the proposal was dropped,” he added.

Another problem before the BBMP was the proposed flyover from NICE Road at this point till Sirsi Circle to be constructed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise.

“The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the State government. However, as that work has not been taken up, the BBMP could only take up road-level works,” the official said.

The official added that the BBMP had now proposed to take up the reconstruction of the old bridge near Gali Anjaneya Temple.

“Based on the recommendations of the Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning, the bridge will be reconstructed, as the vents are small. We are proposing to construct a semi-circle arch bridge with pre-cast elements here,” he added.

Palike may acquire more land for flyover

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) may need to acquire some private properties to construct the proposed flyover at the Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle near the DG Petrol Pump in Katriguppe.

The long-pending proposal for 352-metre-long flyover to overcome traffic bottleneck at the Chennamma Junction got the Cabinet approval on Tuesday night. The project is part of the signal-free corridor from Bannerghatta Road to the Nayandahalli Junction and it will be built on the road along the Kadirenahalli underpass towards Nayandahalli. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 23 crore, which may escalate further due to inflation.

The Palike sources said that at least 2,600 sq metres of land may need to be acquired for the project. The Palike may have to acquire at least 1,100 sq metres of private land as there is 1,500-sq metres of land belonging to the BDA and the BBMP available.

Earlier, the Palike had planned a three-tier grade-separator at the Chennamma Circle, including an underpass, which was supposed to be built from Padmanabha Nagar end towards KIMS Medical College. The presence of a major stormwater drain near the road junction made the project impractical.

41 trees face axe to facilitate BBMP project

As many as 41 trees located in the City centre, between the Okalipuram area and Fountain Circle near Majestic, will face the axe soon as part of the ongoing eight-lane corridor project undertaken by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

This means the green canopy at Okalipuram will soon be a thing of the past. The project aims to ensure seamless connectivity for vehicles coming from West Bangalore, namely from areas Rajajinagar, Malleswaram, Vijayanagar and Basaveshwarnagar towards Majestic.

In a public notice issued on Tuesday, BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah said the project was the need of the hour as vehicle users were witnessing nightmares round the clock due to traffic jams.

Two railway lines extending from City Railway Station also pass perpendicular to the existing road now and the space below the railway bridge is very narrow. Once the project is commissioned, it would be a signal-free corridor with wider space for vehicles along the stretch. To facilitate the project implementation 41 trees will be cut in the due course of time, the notice said.

Officials at BBMP, however, said felling of the trees will be in a phased manner and could begin in two weeks’ time. In the meanwhile, the public can also raise objections.

Even though the eight-lane corridor project was conceived more than five years ago, it was only in December 2012 when the foundation stone was laid for the project by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.

The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 183 crore, will have road underbridges, loops and an underpass to decongest the narrow roads between Okalipuram Junction and Fountain Circle (called as Vatal Nagaraj Road). The stretch is presently witnessing more than 14,000 passenger car units per hour during the peak hours.

Environmentalist Prabhakar Reddy said the Palike should first go for a bio-mass analysis of existing trees on the stretch before venturing towards felling the trees.

There are a good number of rain trees and mahagony trees here. It won’t be a good idea to rush towards tree-cutting without doing a cost benefit analysis, he added.
Madhu K, a member of Hasiru Usiru said the area surrounding Majestic has been losing green sheen for one or the other infrastructure project. Seshadri Road and Race Course Road are a few examples

23 shops on Mysore Road demolished for road widening

In an early morning operation on Saturday, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), with heavy police protection, demolished 23 shops abutting a mosque on Mysore Road here to make way for road widening.

While the BBMP officials claimed that the shops had encroached the already narrow stretch on Mysore Road, the traders were shocked to find out that the civic body was razing down their shops.

Imran Khan, whose tea stall was demolished, told The Hindu that he and his father had been managing this for the past 52 years. “The BBMP did not give us any notice. At least they could have given us time to vacate the shops,” he said.

Syed Abdul Matheen (75) runs a furniture shop here for the past 25 years. He said that he will now be forced to sell the furniture he salvaged at half the price. “I already have a loan of Rs. 4.5 lakhs to repay. Now with this loss, I do not know if I will be able to repay it at all,” he lamented.

It is said that the shops were rented out by the mosque. Most shops had encroached Mysore Road to an extent of 10 ft to 20 ft. A few shopkeepers alleged that the mosque authorities were hand-in-glove with the BBMP officials and had not informed them about the demolition. They claimed that only a few were told about the drive, who voluntarily vacated their shops on Friday night.

Following resistance from the shopkeepers, the BBMP gave them some time to vacate their premises. According to a senior BBMP official, the civic body had consulted the mosque authorities and had taken their consent before taking up the demolition. The official said that a part of the mosque compound would also be demolished, as it had encroached the road. “The mosque authorities have agreed to the demolition. The drive was taken up at 4.30 a.m., as we did not want to disrupt traffic.”

The official also said that the BBMP had sought police protection and around 250-300 police personnel were deployed at the spot. The shopkeepers were being convinced to vacate the premises. “We are still negotiating with them. We have assured them that we will construct shops for them once we take over the land required for road widening. The shops will be constructed on the remaining land owned by the mosque,” the official added.

Traffic jam

The demolition drive affected vehicular movement on the road. There was slow movement of traffic because of the demolition, on-going road widening work.

Bannerghatta road widening soon

The iconic stone structure at the main entrance of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) will soon make way for a road widening project on Bannerghatta Road. 

The widening of the Bannerghatta-NICE Road stretch has been approved by the BBMP recently. The approved project will include portions of the IIM-B compound, and other establishments near it will also be affected. Marking for the road widening has already started on the stretch.

A senior BBMP engineer said, “The notification for road widening has been issued and the alignment has been approved. From the centre of the road, the road will be widened to about 22.5 metres on either side. At present, Bannerghatta Road is just about 20-22 metres along various stretches and impedes traffic flow. A public notification has been issued to all the establishments on Bannerghatta Road. However, there has been no individual notification.”

The engineer added that the marking had started on the road. 

“There are proposals for underpasses and flyover on the same stretch to accommodate the needs of Bangalore Metro rail project. They are still being analysed. It is not just the educational structure, but there are three others like Fortis Hospital which will be part of the road widening,” he added.

S J Anil, chief manager (Infrastructure), IIM-B, said, “The institute has not received any official communication regarding the inclusion of part of the IIM-B campus. But the institute is aware that there are markings done along the road.”

At last, it’s a NICE concrete road

Company officials insist it has nothing to do with allegation that the original agreement had specified a concrete road

Seventeen years after the project was launched, a nine-kilometre stretch of Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) has been converted from a bitumen road to white concrete. BMIC is the outcome of an agreement between the state government and Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE). 

The concrete segment begins near PESIT College on Outer Ring Road and ends at the NICE office near Somapura village (Clover Junction). 

This development is significant because of a case filed in 2012 in the Lokayukta court alleging, among other things, that the original agreement specified a concrete road. Instead, the petitioner pointed out, toll is being collected for a tar road. 

The Lokayukta court ordered attachment of toll collected for the previous two years and an investigation into the alleged irregularities. The order was stayed by the high court earlier this year.

Last month, the complainant publicly offered Rs 1 crore to anyone who could prove that they had paid toll to NICE to travel on concrete road.

NICE officials insisted that the new concrete stretch has nothing to do with the case in the Lokayukta court. Manjunath Nayak, vice-president, public relations, said, “From day one, BMIC was to be a concrete road. But as per our contract, we have to build a concrete road after the first 62 kilometres. We had to first build bitument road on a virgin stretch and wait for it to settle down. We have high embankments and these have to settle down. If concrete is laid in the first instance itself, the road would be uneven. The concrete road is the final version of BMIC."

The stretch begins near PESIT College on Outer Ring Road and ends at the NICE office near Somapura village

Bengaluru Local

The state Cabinet’s in principle approval for a Commuter Rail System (CRS) has revived hope of Bengaluru going the Mumbai way and allowing people to travel long distances in quick time to work in the city, without living in it.

The departments concerned have started to work on a detailed project report (DPR) for all the six routes that RITES has suggested for CRS in its feasibility report. Work on another CRS line between Kunigal and Bengaluru is already underway.

In all, the RITES report on CRS for Bengaluru has identified seven corridors — Yeshwantapur-Tumkur, Bengaluru-Mandya and beyond, Yelahanka-Doddabal­l­apur, Yelahanka-Chikbal­lapur, Byappanhalli-Hosur, Byappanhalli-Bangarapet, and Kunigal (Soldevanahalli)-Bengaluru — covering 440 kms for urban and suburban commuters. However only three routes to Tumkur, Mandya and Bangarpet from Bengaluru will become reality in the first phase.

Around 150,000 daily trips are made on these corridors already and their number could increase to about 450,000 by 2031, according to RITES. The volume of commuters is the highest (34,500) in the Bengaluru-Bangarapet sector.

While the Bengaluru-Mandya sector sees 25,500 commuters, the Tumkur sector handles 24,000 and the Chickballapur and Hebbal sectors, 1,500 each. On the cards is a special purpose vehicle for the project, which will need good support from the state in terms of allocation of land and funds for coaches. The railways, for its part, will have to schedule operations to and from Bengaluru City Railway station which does not have many free slots.

Fast, cheap, perfect decongestion tool for city

The Commuter Rail System (CRS) that will provide an easy commuting option between Bengaluru and neighbouring towns and villages, has the potential to decongest the city like no other project can.

Running through the suburbs in all directions, the CRS corridors will give people the option of working in Bengaluru and living elsewhere, letting the city that has been seeing a huge influx of people, breathe easier in the long run.

“CRS which will provide a fast and cheap way of commuting, will ease the burden on Bengaluru as people will then be able to stay far away form the city and still come to it for work. If there is a fast train from Mandya to Bengaluru every 15 minutes, some may even want to open offices in Mandya and people from Bengaluru could head to them for work. The CRS will decongest the city,” says Mr Pranav Jha, founder of Praja Raag, a not- for- profit organisation that advocates solutions for urban civic problems, including transportation.

While Bengalureans agree that the city desperately needs a Mass Transit System to connect its suburbs and nearby tier 2 towns to decongest it, for once there also seems to be consensus that CRS is the best choice of all available modes of transport to make this happen. 

“The CRS is the best option for these corridors as it will make use of the existing tracks to destinations like Mysore, Tumkur, Yelahanka, Whitefield and Hosur and does not require major investment. Most of these tracks are parallel to the existing roads,” notes Prof MN Sreehari, advisor to the state government on traffic, transportation and infrastructure.

Mr Pranav Jha too agrees that CRS is the best option on these corridors.” We cannot have road based connectivity between Bengaluru and its satellites as it will prove very expensive and so unsustainable. Even if BMTC buses are run on 30 to 40 km long routes, it will work out expensive due to the high fuel cost. The only practical solution is CRS as it requires no huge investment and can use the existing tracks,” he says.

Considering its advantages, ABIDe member R.K. Misra hopes the next government will implement the project quickly and efficiently. “The 2002 RITES report has been gathering dust for long enough. While the Bombay Local is a huge success, commuting in Bengaluru is not unidirectional like in Mumbai. Many CRS lines can be developed on the existing lines here,” he points out.

CRS is what the city needs

R.C. Acharya

The Garden City is no longer a pensioners’ paradise and has long become the job hunters’ favourite haunt. Easy commute to the suburbs with a fast, safe and assured form of transport will help to not only decongest the city, but also stop any further large scale influx of people into it by providing alternate spaces for growth.

Fortunately, all the seven proposed CRS corridors lead to Bengaluru. This should not cause problems of congestion as EMU (Electric Multiple Units) or DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Units) are fitted with driving cabs at both ends making the trains instantly reversible with a platform occupancy of less than 5 minutes!

Sharing tracks with the long distance main line passenger trains can be avoided by building separate tracks as has been done in Mumbai, where now no less than six tracks exist between Virar and Dadar. Four tracks are dedicated to suburban services, two each for fast and slow locals, while the remaining two take care of long distance trains.

A comparison of various parameters of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bi-directional, Metro (double line) and Rail (double line) yields some interesting facts. BRT with a maximum peak passenger throughput (passen­ger­/hour) of 20,000 and running at an average speed 25 to 40 kmph, costs Rs 14 crores per km to build. Metro at 40,000 passenger/hr throughout at speeds of 25 to 45 kmph, costs Rs 250 crore per km. CRS with 60,000 passengers/hr throug­h­out at average speeds of 40 to 70 kmph emerges a clear winner as it requires just Rs 15 crore per km to build.

With a train length of 15 coaches and a wider body (3.66 m) as against a six coach Metro train with only a 2.88m wide body, the CRS has an inbuilt advantage of being 3.15 times the size of a Metro train.

A draft report prepared in June 2010 for the BMRDA by M/S Wilbur Smith Associates on a comprehensive traffic and transportation study for the Bengaluru metropolitan region provides for a planned investment of Rs 73,300 crore in phases upto 2031. But surprisingly, it does not include any investment on CRS and instead suggests elevated Metro tracks along these seven corridors at a hefty price of Rs 250 crore per km. This is a highly expensive proposition for reaching these tier II towns.

Can Bengaluru become another Mumbai with mass transit being provided by wide body EMU coaches? While Mumbai carries almost seven million passengers a day on the combined network of Western and Central Railways, the existing seven corridors leading into Bengaluru could see a jump from the present 150,000 passengers a day to 450,000 in the next five years involving an investment of less than Rs 6,600 crores.

Toll To BIAL Revised From April 1 2013

Tenders Invited for Underpass @ EPIP Whitefield

Elevation work in progress with Aluminium Cladding Panel on the North West side of K R Road Namma Metro Station

BMRCL to invite tenders for retail outlets in Reach 3

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is contemplating additional revenue that can be made from retail outlets within Metro stations as soon as the Phase 1 of the Namma Metro gets over.

In a couple of months, the BMRCL will be inviting tenders for retail outlets along Reach 3 and 3A (Sampige Road to Yeswanthpur and Yeshwantpur to Peenya).

These two lines are expected to be completed by this year end and qualifies as the green line (North South extention).

According to U A Vasant Rao, General Manager (Finance), BMRCL, “We plan to call tenders so that companies that are shortlisted can begin the construction of the retail outlets ahead of the commissioning of the line. This way, commuters can use the outlets as soon as the line is commissioned,” he said adding that the rentals will be payable only after the commissioning of the line.

Along Reach 1, where the Metro is currently operational, retail outlets are coming up. Apart from about 30 retail outlets and kiosks, including florists, quick service restaurants (QSR) and gift shops, pharmacy, repair shops, laundry services, etc, the BMRCL is also inviting tenders for eight small, medium and large QSRs at the MG Road, Trinity and Baiyyappanahalli stations.

The retail outlets will add to BMRCL’s revenue. Rao estimates that the eight new QSRs will bring in revenue of at least Rs 4 lakh per month. In addition to this, each of the other retail outlets is expected to bring in Rs 50,000- Rs 75,000 per month. “The difference with the new QSRs is that a percentage of the revenue from the QSR may come to BMRCL. The owners will pay BMRCL the rent or a percentage of the retail outlet, whichever is higher,” he said.

By the end of 2014, when all the lines of Namma Metro are commissioned, BMRCL hopes to make at least Rs 21 crore from traffic revenue. The BMRCL’s current traffic revenue is about Rs 90 lakh. “When we reach our peak traffic (10 million commuters), we expect at least 20 per cent of the revenue to be from property development,” he said.

Mysore Road terminal Progress

BIAL Update

No sign of PRR,but BDA paid consultancy firm 90 lakh

The firm had been contracted to conduct a detailed topographical survey over 115km for the project.The report was to be submitted within two months,but seven years on,it is still not complete 

The much-hyped Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) continues to be a mirage for commuters,but that has not stopped the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) from spending lakhs of rupees in consulting fees for the project.

The PRR project was to commence in 2006,but the project has been stuck in limbo and is now awaiting the nod from the finance committee.And although no progress on the project has been made on the ground,the BDA has spent close to Rs 90 lakh in the last seven years merely drawing up detailed project reports (DPR) and fixing the alignment.

The BDA had contracted city based Alcon Consulting Engineers and Architects in January 2006 to conduct a detailed topographical survey for Phase I and II of the project comprising 115 km.The firm was to be paid Rs 60.37 lakh and it was to complete the work in two months.

Seven years on,Alcon is still to complete its work.The BDA has now asked it to submit its reports by the March 31 this year.Moreover,the BDA has revised the contract amount to Rs 89.93 lakh and the planning authority has already made payment of Rs 76 lakh.

Alcon Consulting threw up some interesting findings in the course of its survey.It found that on certain stretches,the alignment cut through educational buildings,residential buildings,the Janatha Colony,tanks,Ashraya houses,horticulture farms,a temple,a grave yard,a church and reserve forest area.

Following these findings,the BDA then asked the firm to conduct additional surveys at six different stretches totaling 52.50 km.Alcon Consulting claimed additional consultancy fees of Rs 16.56 lakh on prorate basis for 48.30 km at Rs 34,300 per km.

But there were more hurdles in Alcon Consulting submitting its final reports.In June 2007,the government had issued final notification for acquisition of land under Phase I of the project.But when BDA officials inspected the Phase I route,they found that the alignment needed to be shifted at the existing MRPL gas pipeline near Bileshivali,Vaderahalli,Ramapura and Aduru villages and on the BDA approved layout and residential apartment in Bidarena Agrahara,Doddabanahalli,Kannamangala,Sigehalli and Kadugodi.

Even while Alcon was working on a fresh alignment,ABIDe subcommittee members,on October 23,2008,asked BDA to investigate the possibility of linking PRR Phase I with BMICP corridor at Tumkur Road and Hosur Road junction.

According to officials,the DPR for the proposed project is yet to be finalised and also as the type of execution of this project (BOOT,Annuity or VGF basis) is yet to be approved by the state cabinet.