BENGALURU: The much-delayed Rs 15,767-crore Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), may face further delays.
Lack of available land has forced Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) to urge the BSRP’s nodal agency for implementing the project, Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE), to be relieved of its contractual obligations of developing Corridor-2, which is planned between Baiyappanahalli and Chikkabanavara.
The 27-month contract period awarded for L&T to complete the job expired three months ago. The company has demanded a compensation of Rs 500 crore for the loss it has incurred due to delays in handover of land to develop BSRP’s Corridor-2. This has forced works to come to a standstill a fortnight ago, sources have confirmed.
Corridor-2 — known as Mallige Corridor — which runs to 25.01 km, and the 46.24 km Corridor-4 (Heelalige-Yelahanka-Rajanakunte line) — Kanaka corridor — have both been contracted to L&T. These are part of the total 148.17-km BSRP. The tendering process has not begun for the other two corridors Corridor-1 from KSR Bengaluru City to Airport and Corridor 3 from Kengeri to Whitefield.
Corridor-2 requires 91.5 acres of land, of which 28.56 acres is private land, while Corridor-4 requires 160.56 acres of which 40.29 acres is private land. L&T sources told TNIE, “The non-handover of land and non-shifting of utilities is a big problem we are facing. Wherever we have got the land, we have completed the works. Even on Corridor-4 we have completed bridges near Heelalige.”
‘Private land should be handed over to K-RIDE for works to proceed’
Other sources from the company said at least five top engineers working for L&T who were associated with the BSRP, had resigned and moved elsewhere. The lack of any significant progress in the project due to lack of land availability was damaging the reputation of L & T and their careers too.”
Sources in the BSRP nodal agency said L&T had issued a letter addressed to K-RIDE managing director (in-charge) N Manjula dated March 7, 2025, pointing out non-availability of land for the BSRP’s Corridor-2 line, as the main issue preventing it from going ahead with the works. The letter speaks of huge losses L&T was incurring due to labour and hired machinery kept idle, and requesting that it be “relieved of its contractual obligations”.
Manjula neither confirmed nor denied receiving the letter from L&T, but said: “I have not personally seen it. However, no company can walk out of any project just like that as it’s a contractual agreement. We will present whatever L&T has to say before a technical committee. It comprises members drawn from other outside agencies like PWD (Public Works Department) and they will take a decision on what can be done.”
She said the project cost of Corridor-2 “will go up by Rs 300 crore as its scope has increased and we need to accommodate the Double-Decker flyover along the route of C-2 now. Land needs to be acquired for it too.”
A K-RIDE source said, “Private land needs to be acquired and handed over to K-RIDE for the works to proceed further. The 28.56 acres (of private landNeeded for Corridor-2) may not appear large, but it runs along the entire length of the railway track that we need to build from Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara. So, no portion of the project can be completed.”
Another K-RIDE official said, “Ever since the notice was received, K-RIDE has been holding daily meetings to negotiate the issue and arrive at a solution. Tomorrow (March 22) is the second Saturday, which is a closed holiday for K-RIDE, but a major crisis management meeting has been scheduled to resolve the crisis.”
The Letter of Authorisation for the corridor was issued to L&T in March 2022 and the work order was issued for the project in August 2022. The 27-month completion deadline expired in December 2024.
A couple of days ago, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw responded to a query by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya in Lok Sabha on the slow pace of the BSRP, and blamed the state government for not handing over the required land for the project despite the Railways doing its part.
Karnataka Minister for Commerce & Industries and Infrastructure, MB Patil, who oversees the BSRP, was not available for comment. L&T officials, both in Mumbai and Bengaluru, were contacted repeatedly but refused to come on record.
