Funds will be raised by increasing the User Development Fee

Commuters may have to cough up a User Development Fee (UDF) at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) for a faster ride by Namma Metro, which officials say is a small price for advancing construction of the ambitious 29.6-km, ₹5,950 crore project.

The State cabinet, which approved the project on Monday, also gave its nod to include levying an additional ₹60 to ₹80 to the User Development Fee (UDF) that is already paid by airport passengers. This will see a mopping up of around ₹1,000 crore.

Currently, domestic passengers pay a UDF of ₹384.27 while those taking international flights pay ₹1,537, which goes directly to repay loans taken for construction of the airport. While more than 2.2 crore passengers pass through the airport annually, the number is expected to touch 4 crore in 2020.

“Instead of starting construction under Phase III by 2025 or later, the State government decided to advance it so that it could be operational four years earlier to deal with the increase in passengers after Terminal 2 of the airport opens. By raising money through this, the burden on the government as well as of taking additional loans will reduce,” said Mahendra Jain, newly-appointed Managing Director of BMRCL.

Minimum land acquisition

While the line is elevated, leading to faster construction, BMRCL points out that the low land acquisition required will help expedite the pre-construction phase. An estimated ₹723.05 crore is needed for land acquisition along the 29-km route, as compared to the more than ₹6,293 crore needed for 72-km of Phase II construction.

The existing Bengaluru-Hyderabad National Highway has left 5 metres by the service road for metro construction while the depot and metro stations are expected to be built on government land.

Meanwhile, officials have assured authorities at Jakkur aerodrome that the metro will run at a height lower than the existing flyover so that flight movement is not interrupted.

When will it be ready?

While BMRCL is aiming to complete the project in 2021, the functioning of the line hinges on progress of the Gottigere-Nagawara line, the only stretch on Phase II where no construction on the ground has been seen. Much of the 22-km line, which includes a 13.2-km underground section, continues to remain in the land acquisition phase.

According to BMRCL, out of 251 properties on this stretch, just 54 had been acquired at a cost of ₹99.6 crore till November end. The process of acquiring 173 more properties at a cost of over ₹404.26 crore is under progress.

While the final notification has been issued for six underground stations, the process is yet to begin for the remaining six.

“The tenders will be finalised within a few weeks and construction can begin. As the underground stretch is being done in four packages, work should be fast,” said Mr. Jain.