Dharam shows some spine, stands by Bangalore Metro Rail

CM stands by Bangalore Metro Rail
Deccan Herald

The debate on Bangalore Metro Rail project has heated up with Deve Gowda’s letter to the Prime Minister calling for a re-think.

How big a jolt has former prime minister H D Deve Gowda served on the Bangalore Metro Rail project with his latest missive to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a re-analysis of the project?

Consider this: 1) A team from the Japan Bank for International Corporation — one among the external funding agencies of the project — is in Bangalore since Saturday studying the progress or stalemate of the project.

2) The Public Investment Board approval — though only a formality — is scheduled for June 15.

Mr Gowda may not have derailed the project yet, but as official sources put it: “We are left to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions. Funds are still tied up with financial institutions. It will certainly create a doubt in their minds...”

The officials who have to do the answering can, however, take comfort in Chief Minister Dharam Singh’s words: “The (metro rail) work will not be stopped”.

When Deccan Herald sought his reaction, Mr Singh noted that the metro rail project was not conceived or finalised in the last one year and also that the Centre had already cleared the project.

Upon persistent queries, Mr Singh responded: “The work will not be stopped. It is a long-pending project. But due weightage will be given to the suggestions made by Mr Gowda. We cannot overlook the fact that Bangalore City is acquiring global importance. After Mumbai and Kolkata, it is Bangalore which is the happening city in terms of development. We need to have a mass transit system”.

The Chief Minister said Bangalore was contributing significantly towards the growth of export in the fields of IT and BT. The infrastructure had to grow in proportion to the development of the City, he said.

“Whenever a mega project comes up, certain problems like land acquisition and deforestation crop up. But we have to overcome these problems and go ahead with our plans,” he said.

Cost factor

As things stand, Mr Gowda has succeeded in notching to a higher pitch, the untempered debate of the recent days on whether it is the metro rail or the mono rail that will best serve the transport needs of Bangalore.

It may be noted that with mono rail making a determined push to get itself in the reckoning, the Bangalore Metro Rail Transit Limited officers have lately even accused the mono rail lobby of feeding wrong facts and figures to the public.

It may be ironic but true that the interests of Bangalore Metro Rail project will be served in heeding to the warning issued by its very opponents — the proponents of the mono rail system. As they have noted, world-over, it is seen that the final cost of metro rail projects is double the initial estimate. To quote one of them: “Time and again heavy rail mass transit systems have under-estimated the costs and over-estimated the revenues”.

Clearly then, there is no time to be lost. Official sources themselves contended that “A day’s delay is going to cost us at least a crore”.

About Rs 8 crore has been spent in the planning and approval process of the project. The estimated cost when the Detailed Project Report was submitted in April 2003 was Rs 4,989 crore.

The revised estimate today stands at Rs 6,000 crore.

Progress-wise the preparations are reportedly in place to start construction from the last week of July.

Tenders, which were called two months ago, are being evaluated.

A meeting with Defence Ministry officials finalising the approval process for acquisition of 102 acres of defence land along the metro rail route was held on May 31.

The report of the Comprehensive Survey on Transport and Traffic in Bangalore, which will spell out the route and modalities of the second and third phases of the project, is expected in about eight months time.

GOWDA’s VETO

*Metro rail project.
*Civil works for Arkavathy layout project.
*Denotification of land in Arkavathy Layout.
*Several provisions in BMIC project.
*Move to make helmets mandatory for riders.