BENGALURU: Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently announced that his department had given its in-principle approval for Bengaluru Metro’s Airport Line project and the final approval was expected shortly, however the Union Budget went a step ahead and gave an assurance that it would contribute its share for the 58.19-km project, which is estimated to cost Rs 14,788 crore. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd Managing Director Ajay Seth on Monday for the first time gave a specific deadline for the green signal to be given to this line: March this year.
The Phase-2A Line (Central Silk Board to K R Puram) and Phase-2B Line (K R Puram to Kempegowda International Airport) were added to Metro’s 72.3 km Phase-II project after massive public demand. Though Phase-II has been approved, these added lines still await approval from the Centre though the State has given its nod.
During the launch of the first line of Metro Phase-II virtually, Puri had stated that it was with the Public Investment Board for clearance. Seth said after the Board approves it, the next step will be an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. “The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is working to get these two steps completed within March 2021,” he said.
Referring to the announcement, he said, “The support from the Government of India for building this sustainable mobility infrastructure will help the city in realising its economic potential. This line will help the IT & BT sector. In particular, it will improve multimodal mobility integration and act as catalyst for mobility-oriented development.” The Airport line has a June 2025 deadline, he added.
While 50 per cent of the project cost would be borne by State government and Public-Private Partnership, the Centre would bear another 50% inclusive of loans from multilaterl and bilateral development agencies. A senior Metro official said that there is no question of the Centre not okaying these lines and it is only a matter of time.