BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is facing a major challenge of access to carry out construction work on a portion of its Green line extension between Nagasandra to Madavara (earlier BIEC), the 3.05 km elevated line that would be the first to be inaugurated in 2022.
The Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Limited (NICE) is not permitting it access to reach its construction spot despite BMRCL willing to pay a monthly rental of Rs 5.75 lakh for road usage, say sources.
A senior BMRCL official told TNIE that work on 630 metres of the line had been held up for some months due to this issue.
BMRCL needs to access upto 3839 sqm of NICE land to reach this segment. “NICE had demanded rental charges of Rs 5.75 lakh per month during the execution period as per its letter dated August 4, 2021. BMRCL had accepted the condition and communicated its acceptance on August 24, 2021. Despite that, NICE is not permitting us to enter through their land resulting in delay in execution of work,” he said. This covers seven spans in the Trumpet area of NICE Road.
There is history behind this festering issue. BMRCL had acquired 11 metre wide strip of land for putting in place the viaduct between Chikkabidarakallu and Madavara and a parcel of 11038 sq m of land for construction of BIEC station. “Due process had been followed. Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board is in the process of depositing the money in the High Court due to a dispute between NICE and Public Works Department over the issue,” he explained.
Asked for his response, Ashok Kheny, Managing Director, NICE, said, “BMRCL had acquired our land for the project but we are yet to be paid any compensation for it. We gave it because the former CM B S Yeddyurappa asked us to do so. BMRCL had even given an undertaking in court that we would be paid for it but 2.5 years later we have not been paid anything.”
Kheny added that the way forward to solve the impasse was for BMRCL to hold a meeting with NICE and sort out the issues.