BS Yediyurappa

BENGALURU: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday urged Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) to fast-track Phase 2 of the project, which has been plagued by delays.

Chairing a meeting with senior BMRCL officials, Yediyurappa, who holds the Bengaluru city development portfolio, noted that around 4.5 lakh people use Metro services daily.

“Work on the 72-km of Phase 2 lines with 61 stations is in progress and a majority of these lines will be completed by 2020,” Yediyurappa said. He said the Rs 5,995-crore KR Puram-Silk Board (17km) section along Outer Ring Road and the Rs 10,584-crore KR Puram-KIAL (38km) line will also be taken up.

Without setting a deadline, Yediyurappa said the Phase 3 (86km) of the transit project would be taken up in two phases.

On multimodal transport plans, he said the government would introduce a common mobility card, build bus bays at 10 Metro stations, set up charging stations at five to 10 stations, construct an FOB between Yeshwantpur railway station and the Metro station nearby and introduce a bicycle sharing system.

Yediyurappa said all 50 Metro trains would soon be six-coach rakes.

Urging officials to ensure that safety of passengers remains a top priority, he called for periodic inspection of Metro infrastructure, including pillars. “Metro operations should be extended for longer periods if required,” he added.

The CM instructed officials to complete ongoing work on the Yelachenahalli-Anjanapura and Mysuru Road-Kengeri sections and float tenders for the Outer Ring Road and airport lines without any delay, BMRCL managing director Ajay Seth told reporters after the meeting.

“He said the government plans to float tenders for the Silk Board-KR Puram and KR Puram-KIA stretches by October-December,” Seth said. “The Yelachenahalli-Anjanapura section will be operational by August 2020 and the Mysuru Road-Kengeri section by November 2020.”

“The CM said the state would obtain all pending approvals from the Centre,” he added. “BMRCL is conducting geotechnical investigations [for data on soil/rock characteristics] along the Silk Board-KR Puram and KR Puram-KIA sections so contractors can begin work without delay.”

Asked about the defence ministry’s claim over the land occupied by All Saints Church for the proposed Vellara Junction Metro station, Seth said: “The chief secretary has called a meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue.”

