Coalition govt set to derail Metro project: No allocation in budget

Coalition govt set to derail Metro project: No allocation in budget
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The much-delayed Bangalore Metrorail is on the verge of derailment. At a time when the Metro was all set to chug off, DyCM and Finance Minister B S Yediyurappa has disappointed Bangaloreans by not making any budgetary allocation to take the project forward.

All that the budget had to say was: “The Government has taken a decision to implement a Metrorail project in Bangalore. The project was cleared at the meeting of the PIB. Clearances from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) are awaited.”

After dilly dallying for long, the Project Investment Board (PIB) had cleared the Bangalore project on Aug 5, 2005 and the Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had given it the green signal recently.

Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy had also promised to extend all support to the Rs 6,300-crore project that would decongest city roads and provide an efficient mass transit system.

Now it was up to the State Government to take the project forward. However, contrary to expectations, the government seems to have put it on the back burner.

The coalition government delivered the first blow to the project by shunting out Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) chief K N Srivasatava a few days after the project was granted GoM clearance. Now it has not made any budgetary allocation for it.

Sources in the BMRCL, however, are hopeful that the Government will release the cess amount collected for the project. “That would come up to a few hundred crores. The project can move forward if that amount is released soon,” sources said.

Former Chief Minister S M Krishna had allocated Rs 74 crore in 2003-04 when the project was awaiting required clearances. The funds were not utilised as the work was yet to start.

Meanwhile, senior IAS officer V Madhu, who has been appointed as the BMRCL MD is yet to take charge. Sources said Madhu is likely to take charge on Friday.