CM lays out laundry list of projects

How many will take off is anybody's guess

CM urges Plan panel to help integrate railway projects
Mr Dharam Singh said work on the new international airport and Rs 390-crore high-tech city project would begin in January next.

Deccan Herald

Chief Minister N Dharam Singh on Wednesday sought the Planning Commission’s help in integrating the Rs 1,250-crore Commuter Rail Project providing connectivity on 62-km of existing surface railway lines in Bangalore with the proposed Rs 4,899-crore metro rail project.

Speaking at a one-day consultation meeting organised by the Planning Commission in Bangalore, the chief minister said the integration of the commuter rail project with the road transport and proposed metro rail project would go a long way in improving the City infrastructure and reducing road congestion.

According to official sources, the Rs 1,025-crore commuter rail project envisages to provide a mass urban transportation system along the existing railway lines covering 62 km on the north-south and east-west axis of the City — from Kengeri to Bangalore City Railway Station (CRS), Bangalore CRS to Yeshwantpur, Bangalore CRS to Whitefield via Cantonment and Yeshwantpur to Byappanahalli via Hebbal.

The project cost would be shared equally between the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Urban Development and the State government.

Meanwhile, in the first phase of the metro rail project, 23.63 km of elevated track and 6.7 km of underground track would be laid.

Connecting 32 terminals in the heart of the City, the trains would ply along two corridors from north to south and east to west.
Mr Singh urged Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who presided over the meet, to help the State in getting approval for these two projects.

IT sector
In the backdrop of mounting criticism and boycott threat by IT companies citing poor infrastructure in Bangalore, Mr Singh also utilised the platform to shore up the government’s image on the infrastructure front.

Listing out steps taken to improve infrastructure in Bangalore, Mr Singh said work on the international airport would begin in January next year after the signing of the State Support Agreement and Land Lease Agreement. Similarly, a Rs 390-crore project had been taken up to set up a high-tech city to benefit the IT industry. The project would also commence in January next year, he added.

To improve the road infrastructure, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike had taken up relaying of 900 km of road length within the City and has entered into a three-year maintenance contract for maintaining 2,000 km of existing roads.