The confusion surrounding the metro rail link to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) finally seems to have been put to rest after chief minister Siddaramaiah announced on Monday that the airport would be connected to Nagavara (the proposed Nagavara-Gottigere metro rail link with an inter-junction at MG Road).He also added that metro link to KIA would be part of the Phase III and not Phase II, as believed earlier. During his Independence Day speech, the CM said that planning for Phase III had begun and the government envisaged connectivity from Nagavara to KIA.Earlier, the state government planned to construct a high-speed rail link from MG Road to KIA. However, the proposal was put in cold storage and the responsibility was given to metro officials. BMRCL then asked RITES to prepare a detailed report on the feasibility of linking the city with the airport. RITES listed various options for BMRCL, which included extending the metro from Nagavara to KIA.Though the CM did not specify the alignment, sources in BMRCL said the proposed alignment was likely to go via Manyata Tech Park and Hebbal before turning towards Yelahanka and finally KIA. For this, the BMRCL needs to build metro infrastructure for a 30-kilometre line to connect Nagavara and KIA. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) acquired land parallel to the highway worth Rs250 crore. The BMRCL has yet to take possession of this land.The previous BJP government planned to connect the city and the airport with a high-speed rail link but the proposal was shelved due to high costs. The state government also proposed connecting the airport through a rail system, but the proposal failed to take shape.Linking the metro to KIA will not be easy for BMRCL. Under Phase II, the BMRCL must first complete the metro network between Gottigere and Nagavara — a length of 21.25 kilometres out of which 13.79 kilometres is underground. BMRCL had a poor track record of completing metro underground in Phase I on time. The BMRCL is still struggling to complete tunneling work between Chikpet and Majestic metro stations.However, in his speech, the CM said that by November, all of Phase I would be operational. BMRCL has yet to start Phase II and the ground work, including DPR for the phase three, has yet to beegin.Principal adviser to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited, E Sreedharan, also known as ‘metro man’ slammed the BMRCL for the delay in implementing the project. He had also said the BMRCL should stop using “tough terrain” as an excuse for the delay in tunnel work. In the past, Sreedharan suggested the state government make a person with technical expertise head of the BMRCL, instead of an IAS officer, to ensure the speedy completion of work.Metro to connect Silk Board to KR PuramDue to strong demand demands from techies, the CM also announced a metro link from Central Silk Board to KR Puram. This stretch sees some of the worst traffic jams on the Outer Ring Road. It was demanded that the metro be connected from Central Silk Board (which will have its junction at RV Teachers’ College-Bommasandra link) and KR Puram (Mysuru road and ITPB line).