BENGALURU:THE KR Puram-Silk Board line of Metro (Phase-2A) will be ready for operations only in 2022. Tenders called for this Outer Ring Road (ORR) line over six months ago are yet to be awarded though one of three packages is now nearing finalisation.
This is the first time Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has specified a 2022 deadline for this route. BMRCL had all along maintained a 2021 deadline. Even Governor Vajubhai Valu had informed a joint legislature session last month that the entire Phase-II would be in place by March 2021.
The 19.45-km fully elevated line, estimated to cost Rs 4,202 crore, cuts through the dense IT corridor in the city and is eagerly awaited by the IT crowd.
BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth told The New Indian Express, “We are in the process of finalising tenders. Work will begin by 2019 and is set to be completed by 2021. By 2022, the line will be operational though I cannot be specific about the month right now.”
Tenders for the ORR line were called for on February 27 and was supposed to be finalised by May 7. The line has been split as follows: Package I - 7.086-km line from Silk Board to Bellandur station for Rs 427 crore; Package II - 6.451-km line from Bellandur station to Doddanekundi station for Rs 416.66 crore and Package III: 5.9-km from Doddanekundi station to K R Puram Interchange station for Rs 386 crore.
According to a highly placed source, the technical and financial bids have been completed for Package 1 and Hyderabad-based IL & FS had quoted the lowest amount.“However, BMRCL is yet to issue a Letter of Authorisation for it as it is concerned about the slow progress made by the concern in its civil works on one of its ongoing civil contracts for Metro, the Mysuru Road stretch.” Asked about the tenders, the MD said, “The tenders are under consideration. We will be awarding it shortly. Only after the first one is finalised, we plan to sequentially award the other two packages.”
On the status of land required for it, General Manager, Land Acquisition, MS Channappa Goudar, said preliminary notification for acquisition of 48 properties running to 36,782 square metres has been approved by the government and will be notified in the gazette shortly.
13 stations planned
Thirteen stations are planned on this line at KR Puram, Mahadevapura, DRDO Sports Complex, Doddanekundi, ISRO, Marathahalli, Kodibisanahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Bellandur, Iblur, Agara Lake, HSR Layout and Silk Board with Interchange junctions at K R Puram and Silk Board. This will be the first Metro line that will have corporate funding as Intel will develop the Bellandur Metro station while Embassy Group will take up Kadubeesanahalli Metro station.