Starting bug hits train to Devanahalli

Starting bug hits train to Devanahalli
DH News Service, Bangalore:
When it was thought that everything is set and work on the eagerly-awaited high-speed elevated rail link to Devanahalli international airport would chug off, the State Executive Committee headed by Governor Rameshwar Thakur, on Friday, found itself in two minds on the issue of the starting point.

Whether to have the starting point at BRV Grounds in the heart of the City, as has been proposed by the infrastructure development department, or somewhere else, is the Committee’s dilemma. Hence, when the proposal on high speed rail link came up before the Committee meeting on Friday, it was decided not to take any decision in a hurry.

“The proposal is for having the starting point at BRV Grounds. But the Committee wants the City traffic police to study the proposal and submit a report,” S Krishna Kumar, one of the Governor’s advisors, told reporters after the meeting.

Traffic load
According to official sources, the Committee is concerned about the traffic load on the areas surrounding BRV Grounds if the high-speed train too has its station here.

“The advisors, therefore, decided to collect more information on the merits and demerits of the proposal before clearing the project,” the sources added.

As per the original plan, the elevated high-speed rail link was proposed to have its starting point at Byappanahalli. But it was later changed to BRV Grounds. Estimated to cost around Rs 3,716 crore, the rail link will have stations also at Hebbal and Yelahanka.

DMRC Managing Director E Sreedharan will meet the Governor on December 15 to discuss the rail link and later it would be discussed by the Committee before taking a final decision, Krishna Kumar added.

Nevertheless, the Governor assured that work on a road with an adequate capacity to accommodate the traffic flow, would be completed before the new airport is opened (scheduled for March 28, 2008).

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to inaugurate the airport, he added.

According to officials, the ongoing work on widening Bellary Road and construction of underpasses at various junctions till the Hebbal flyover would be completed before the airport becomes operational.