BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has written to the Railway Ministry to accord priority and begin work on routes of the suburban rail project, which does not have a similar alignment with Metro lines. Preparation of a fresh Detailed Project Report will mean a lengthy delay, it has said.
The urban development department sent its response to the Railway Board on June 12 on comments sought in the light of a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office on April 10, calling for a fresh DPR for the Rs 22,242-crore project. The letter from the state says it agrees that suburban lines should not compete with, but complement the Metro network. “However, too many changes in the alignment may lead to preparation of a fresh DPR, further delaying the project. Hence, the alignments which are not running parallel to Metro can be taken up on priority, without waiting for a fresh DPR in the interest of the commuters.”
These are the four corridors originally proposed as part of the 161-km suburban railway network readied by consultancy firm, RITES: Kengeri to Whitefield; Bengaluru City-Yeshwantpur-Yelahanka-Rajanukunte; Nelamangala-Chikkabanavara-Yeshwantpur-Hebbal-Baiyappanahalli and Heelalige-Baiyappanahalli-Channasandra-Yelahanka-Kempe Gowda airport.
“BMRCL has consistently objected to the first corridor (Kengeri to Whitefield) as it feels its alignment runs parallel to its Reach-1 extension of Phase-2,” said a top official.
The letter also said that Karnataka had no objection to splitting the project, as several Point to Point projects (each corridor as a separate project) and implementing it on Private Public Partnership (PPP) mode. The letter pointed out that it would not be commercially viable as ridership initially will not help in recovery of the investment.
Investors were not likely to quote high bids, and the bidding process could cause delays in executing the project, the letter added.
The letter also wanted Railway land to be given free of cost, or on nominal lease basis, as is being done by land belonging to the state. The fare box revenue can be fixed by the Special Purpose Vehicle being set up, such that the operation and maintenance cost can be met, it added.
Additional chief secretary, urban development department, Mahendra Jain told TNSE, “The state is extremely keen on giving effective traction to the suburban rail project, in the interest of commuting citizens. We have gone the extra mile to accommodate numerous requests made by Railways and also given the project adequate funds. The ball is now in the court of the Railways. They need to give the green signal and implement the project in earnest.”
Chief Administrative Officer, Constructions, South Western Railway, K C Swami said, “The report given by the state is positive overall. We will take the Board into confidence and get the issues sorted out between the state and Centre. Consultancy firm RITES can be asked to modify the report accordingly, and there may not be a need for a new DPR.”