BMRCL

Outer Ring Road

Bengaluru

Asian Development Bank

By Naveen Menezesfloats bids for Metro construction. Work likely to begin from mid-2020After a long wait, the Metro work on(ORR) will begin mid next year. TheMetro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) on Friday floated bids for the construction of 19-km Metro line between KR Puram and Central Silk Board. The Rs 5,950 crore project is expected to be completed in three years.The 19-km project, called Phase II-A, consists of 13 Metro stations. As per the tender information, the BMRCL has divided the project into two phases, for speedier construction. As the last date to submit the bids is January 27, the officials might award the contract by end of 2018-19 financial year.The 9.85-km Package 1 comprises of 6 Metro stations such as Central Silk Board, HSR Layout, Agara, Iblur, Bellandur and Kadubeesanahalli. The BMRCL has also added 2.84-km flyover, proposed at Central Silk Board, in the same contract. The signal-free flyover, consisting of two loops around the busy junction, was initially planned to be constructed separately. The entire package is estimated cost Rs 731.18 crore.The 9.77-km Package 2 consists of 7 stations such as Kodibeesanahalli, Marathahalli, ISRO, Doddanekundi, DRDO Sports Complex, Saraswathinagar and KR Puram. The BMRCL has also planned a 1.09-km long viaduct from KR Puram Metro station to the Baiyappanahalli depot.Additionally, the BMRCL has included shifting utilities such as water, sewage pipelines and cables, all in the tender. The responsibility of road widening and diverting utilities will be the responsibility of the lowest bidder. The move appears to be aimed at fast-tracking the project implementation and doing away with multiple contractors for work.This is not the first time the BMRCL is floating tenders for the construction of 19-km ORR Metro line. Last year, the construction arm of IL&FS Ltd had emerged lowest bidder in all the three packages of Phase I-A.However, as the company declared bankruptcy, the BMRCL decided to scrap the tenders and re-start the process all over again.Due to the delay, the revised cost of 19-km Metro stood at Rs 5,950 crore, up from what was originally estimated at Rs 4,200 crore in 2016. Another reason for the cost escalation, the officials said, was due to the increase in land requirement. The BMRCL hopes to raise around Rs 3,000 crore as long-term debt from the(ADB) for the project.