BENGALURU: Like numerous other infrastructure projects, the much-awaited Outer Ring Road (ORR) Line between KR Puram and Silk Board that will connect the City’s tech corridor, is also suffering delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. While the State government gave its administrative clearance for the Rs 5,994.9 crore project as early as January 29, 2019, the Centre is yet to give its nod.
By mid-June, the BMRCL submitted the technical bids finalized for civil works for this Phase-2A project (Blue Line) to the Asian Development Bank in Manila, its main funder. “Top Indian construction firms have bid for it and the ADB needs to approve it before we can go ahead with the financial bids,” a reliable Metro source told TNIE. “Every document submitted by the bidders has to be verified completely through numerous checks to verify the genuineness of the info supplied and this took some time due to the lockdown in place,” he said.
The source said, “The Centre was on the verge of giving it clearance in March. However, it was then that the pandemic struck in the country and the first lockdown was announced. Since then, the Centre’s priorities have completely shifted towards containing the disease. Clearance for it has now been delayed by almost four months.”Meanwhile, BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth claimed the ORR-Airport Line was not delayed and approval by the Centre was on track.
This line is of crucial importance as it will extend onwards from KR Puram to the Kempegowda International Airport (Phase-2B), for which tenders have been called for in three packages.The 19.5-km elevated ORR line will have 13 stations: KR Puram, Mahadevapura, DRDO sports complex, Doddanekundi, ISRO, Marathahalli, Kodibisanahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Bellandur, Iblur, Agara Lake, HSR Layout and Silk Board.
A bus depot will also be constructed near Silk Board for intermodal integration as part of the project. Tenders have been split into two packages and nine construction firms have bid for them.Asked if the project would be delayed, the source said, “We are adopting the U-girder technology for the project which will help in speedy laying of rail tracks. We are confident of readying it by 2024.”