A prominent BJP Leader and MP of South Bengaluru Tejasvi Surya opined that, the Ministry of Railways can take up the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) from the Karnataka government and fulfill the target of completing it in 40 months, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022. In a conversation with media, Surya told this while commenting on the development work he has done from the past five years.
He also presented a 10-year report on the Modi government’s implementation of flagship schemes in Bengaluru. In his social media handle, twitter, Surya said, “The K-RIDE (Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company), a Special Purpose Vehicle between the Karnataka government and the Ministry of Railways, is posing a major challenge to the progress of the BSRP.”
He also added, “The railway authorities have time and again pointed out that the quality of proposals submitted by the K-RIDE does not match the technical requirements of the railways. In fact, I strongly advocate that the BSRP should be taken out of the SPV model and handed over to the Centre.”
He explained that, if the state government decides to complete a project the central government is ready to take over and finish the project at the earliest. He further informed that, the Hassan (Alur-Sakleshpur-Chikmagalur) railway project has also not taken off because of the SPV model.
Lately, Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil declared that, the works of all four corridors of the BSRP will be completed by December 2027, an extension by nearly 3.5 years.
The K-RIDE and Luxembourg-based KFW Development Bank inked an MoU on Friday to accommodate funds of Rs. 4,561 crore (Euro 500 million) for the rail project. According to their agreement, the KFW would provide Rs 4,561 crore at 4 percent interest for 20 years. This supplementary agreement, between Germany’s KFW and the K-RIDE followed by the primary agreement between the Department of Economic Affairs, Govt of India and the KFW for the disbursal of Rs. 4,561 crore which took place on December 15, 2023.
By now, the K-RIDE is yet to finalize the tender document, drawings and cost estimate of the 51-km Corridor 1 connecting KSR Bengaluru Railway station and Devanahalli (including Airport link) which will be implemented in two packages.
On the other side, the 25-km Corridor 2 connecting Baiyappanahalli and Chikkabanavara is being undertaken by L&T Limited and the works are underway at multiple stages. The Corridor 3, which is connecting Kengeri to Whitefield Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) has submitted the draft pre-feasibility report to K-RIDE and the same has been discussed with the South Western Railway (SWR). They are updating the report to include additional options as advised by the SWR and is pending with the RITES.
The Corridor 4 which is connecting Heelalige and Rajankunte, was given to L&T limited at a tender cost of Rs 1,040.51 crore and a completion period of 30 months. This was approved by the SWR and the physical work is expected to commence shortly.
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