Siddaramaiah reminds Modi of 40-month ‘boast’ on suburban rail

Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah has sought answers from the Union govt over the inordinate delay in Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP). He said that in 2022, ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi "boasted" that the project would be completed within 40 months; however, the deadline has now been pushed to 2030."This is not just about a delayed project. It is about the daily struggle of commuters and rising transport stress in a city that keeps contributing to India's growth while being denied timely infrastructure support. My question to the Union govt is this: If Bengaluru's suburban rail was promised as a priority before the election, why has the city been left to suffer delay after delay?" Siddaramaiah asked.In Oct 2020, K-RIDE, a joint venture of Centre and state, received approval to build the 148-km BSRP network. The agency was given a deadline of 2026, but to date it has not commissioned even a single stretch. While laying the foundation stone in June 2022, Modi assured that the project would become a reality in 40 months.In Aug 2022, K-RIDE awarded a contract to Larsen & Toubro for Corridor-2 (Baiyappanahalli-Chikkabanavara). The project faced delays, and eventually came to a halt after L&T terminated the contract last year. The company also exited Corridor-4 (Heelalige-Rajankunte), for which it secured the contract in Dec 2023.The state govt has criticised the Centre for delays in railway land transfer and design approvals, while the Centre has argued that K-RIDE lacks the technical expertise to execute such a complex project and should be headed by a technocrat.Recently, responding to a question on the project's status, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that delays in land acquisition by the state govt had slowed progress.While targeting the central govt, the CM also questioned its decision to leave out Mysuru of the announced Chennai-Bengaluru high-speed rail corridor, and not fulfilling promises on Kolar Rail Coach Factory despite the state govt providing the required land.Revival of Corridor-2In a bid to revive the stalled Baiyappanahalli-Chikkabanavara corridor, K-RIDE floated fresh tenders for three packages last Oct. Recently, contracts for two of these packages have been awarded. The Yeshwanthpur-Chikkabanavara package has been awarded to PJB Engineers Private Limited for Rs 106 crore, while the Baiyappanahalli-Hebbal package has been awarded to a consortium of PJB Engineers and CVCC for Rs 263 crore.A K-RIDE official said that for the Hebbal-Yeshwanthpur package, which involves an elevated corridor, only a single bid was received and the quoted cost was too high. Considering this, the tender will be re-floated.On Corridor-4 (Heelalige-Rajankunte), the official said fresh tenders will be floated in the next three to four months. For the remaining two corridors — Majestic-Devanahalli and Kengeri-Whitefield — tenders are yet to be floated. Land delay slowed progress: MP Responding to the CM's jibe, Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan Sunday hit back, blaming the state govt for delays.He said execution rests primarily with the state, arguing the hold-up stems from "state-level bottlenecks," not a lack of Union support. Mohan noted the state holds a 51% stake in Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company Limited and said delays in land transfer and acquisition have slowed progress."Land acquisition and on-ground readiness have lagged due to state delays," he added in a post on X.
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