BENGALURU: Delay on the part of the Bangalore Development Authority to offer its land to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for its Challaghatta depot for the Purple Line extension of Phase-II has ensured work related to the depot is at a standstill presently. BMRCL is awaiting the land for nearly a year now.
The Reach 2 (A and B) line originally proposed from Mysuru Road to Kengeri was later extended by an additional 1.5 km up to Challaghatta.
The sustained demand from Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Layout site owners for the extension so that the residents can have easy access to a Metro station was mainly responsible for the extension.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, M S Channappagoudar, General Manager, Land Acquisitions Cell, BMRCL said, “We require 18 acres and 8 guntas from BDA and have notified them about it. We can go ahead with calling for tenders for the depot only if the land is in place. We are still waiting for the land to be handed over to us.”
Many meetings have taken place between officials of both departments in connection with this parcel of land.
The required permission for handing over the land to Metro is going around in circles within the BDA office.
Asked about the reason for the delay, a senior BDA official said, “Our Land Acquisitions department had sent the land details to the Engineering Cell, and it has sent it to the Finance Department to take a final decision on the compensation amount required by BDA.
"Finance has forwarded it back to the Engineering department recently. It will be handed over to BMRCL shortly.”
The depot will come up on 40 acres of land and other parcels of land required have been obtained from private landowners. Phase-II will have five depot to cater to its extensive 72.1-km network.
Apart from Challaghatta, one depot each will come up at Whitefield, Anjanapura, Hebbagodi and Kothanur.
The line will have stations at Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore University, Pattanagere, Mailasandra, Kengeri and Challaghatta.