BENGALURU: While work on one of the stretches of the underground corridor of Nagawara-Gottigere Line of Namma Metro’s Phase-II has come to a halt after 80 employees tested Covid positive, work on the neighbouring stretches are registering progress.Barring the Shivajinagar-Tannery Road stretch, where workers tested positive, work on three other segments of Reach-6 Line are on.
“Piling work on the 3.6 km stretch between Jayanagar Fire Station and Vellara Road Junction has commenced recently. This is the strong foundation that needs to be laid before we go in for excavation work of the stations of the underground corridor,” said an official of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. “The objective is to ensure that the soil doesn’t cave in when we excavate,” he added.
Piling work has begun at South Ramp, Jayanagar fire station, Diary Circle and Lakkasandra Metro stations. Work to erect a shaft at Vellara junction is also in progress, the official said.Meanwhile, the four tunnel boring machines imported from China, which will carry out drilling work, are being readied.
Giving details on other stretches on the Reach, another official said the contract for Package 1 running till 3.65 km has been awarded to AFCONS Infrastructure Limited.
“It involves building a South Ramp from Swagath Road Elevated Station to Vellara underground station and will cost Rs 1,526 crore. Diary Circle, Mico Industries and Langford Town are the stations coming up here.”Package 4 (4.59 km) has been awarded to ITD Cementation India Ltd (Tannery Road-Nagawara station) for Rs 1,771 crore. These two contracts were awarded recently while Package 2 (Vellara Junction-Shivajinagar) and Package 3 (Shivajinagar-Pottery Town) have been awarded to L&T Constructions Limited much earlier. They all involve design and construction of underground tunnel and stations.
The Underground Line has a deadline of 2024.