Metro Rail set to follow International Airport out

Kharge and Co look for alternatives to Metro Rail
Vijay Times

Bangalore: A high-level team led by Transport Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge has left for Brazil and Sweden to scout for alternatives to the much hyped Metro Rail Project for Bangalore.

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) sources said the corporation is now looking at cost-effective options to replace the proposed Metro Rail Project.

Sources said the team including BMTC Managing Director Upendra Tripathy plan to study efficient road transport system in Curituba (Brazil) and visit the Volvo headquarters in Gotenburg (Sweden) for a possible negotiation on the Volvo special buses BMTC plans to introduce in the Bangalore. Meanwhile, faced with an acute shortage of about 750 conductors BMTC is all set to recruit 1,100 Driver cum Conductors by 2005.

Chief Traffic Manager (Commercial) K S Vishwanath said the corporation will be shortly fill up the vacancies for the conductors posts. "We plan to recruit Conductors who can also drive as it is economically more viable," he added. BMTC plans to recruit 100 women drivers shortly after the first BMTC woman driver, P N Renuka, successfully taking to the wheel. The interviews for drivers have commenced on Wednesday and will go on till December 31.