Bangalore Metro to make 2-km run on Reach II

Bangalore: The depot run of the Bangalore Metro train service on Phase I Reach II stretch connecting Rajajinagar and Peenya would be taken up at the ground depot in Peenya on Wednesday, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing the progress of the Bangalore Metro project with the officials of the Bangalore Metro Railway Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the state government, the chief minister further added that the depot run would be conducted on a two-km stretch related to Reach II section.

Referring to the southern extension of the Metro work, the chief minister said over 89 per cent of work going towards Mysore Road of the Reach II has been completed. Also, 96 percent of the work on Metro stations is over, he added.

The depot run of the stretch connecting Rajajinagar and Peenya would be taken up on Wednesday.

Stating that it is envisaged to complete the Metro Reach III works in January/February 2013, Gowda said that the civil works of the Reach 3A and 3B have been almost completed. “Seventy eight percent of the work has been completed on Reach 4. The completion of Metro station is also progressing well,” he explained.

Dates of commissioning stretches

He said that the Peenya-Yeshwantpur stretch is expected to be commissioned by April 2013 and the Hessaraghatta section by June 2013, City Station to Mysore Road by December 2013 and K R Market-R V Road-Puttenahalli stretch by December 2013. The completion of the Majestic station work is also expected to be completed by the end of 2014, he stated.

Second Phase Work

Replying to questions, Gowda said that the Centre has already agreed in principle to take up the Rs 24,605-crore second phase of the Metro project and work would be started even before final approval.

Space scientist and Rajya Sabha member Kasturirangan is taking up the state’s cause in getting approval for all the Bangalore Metro works at the New Delhi level, he said.

Gowda also reviewed the status of the memorandum of understanding (MoUs) signed in the recently concluded Global Investors Meet (GIM) and said that periodical monitoring of the investment proposals would be done to ensure their realisation.

He also spoke about state government’s plan to encourage the formation of the industrial parks in private sector in which the issue of the land acquisition would be the the sole responsibilities of the developer.

The chief minister said he plans to visit New Delhi and meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to plead for additional grants to tackle the drought situation in the state. “The Centre has also promised to assist the state by providing foodgrains,” he stated

The Problem of the Statue

Referring to the issue of relocation of Ambedkar’s statue in front of the Vidhana Soudha for the Metro project work, CM D V Sadandanda Gowda said that a meeting would be convened to take a decision on the issue soon.

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