Namma Metro is running nine months late

Namma Metro is running nine months late

Staff Reporter

But BMRCL chief hopes to make good the time lost

First phase likely to be completed in December 2010

BMRCL facing shortage of skilled manpower

Bangalore: It’s now official. Namma Metro is running nine months behind schedule.

This was disclosed by none other than Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) N. Sivasailam on Tuesday during an interactive meeting with the members of Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

With this delay, the first phase of the rail service between Byappanahalli and Karnataka State Cricket Stadium on Mahatma Gandhi Road will now be completed in December 2010 as against the earlier schedule of March 2010.

Originally, the first phase of metro was scheduled to be commissioned by December 2009 but it was later rescheduled to March 2010. And now the work on metro rail is a year behind the original schedule.
Making up

Mr. Sivasailam said that efforts were on to make up the delay by taking various steps and hoped that the BMRCL would be able to reduce the delay by at least three to five months besides trying to complete the first phase by March-April, 2010, if possible.

Without elaborating the causes for delay, he said that factors such as acquisition of land, process of demolition of certain private properties are a few reasons. He said that in certain cases, the company could not accelerate the work owing to pending litigation, though there were no stay orders against work.

The BMRCL is also facing shortage of skilled manpower in certain key areas such as tunnel work among others.

Mr. Sivasailam also said that the proposed extension of metro rail network has been included in the project pending clearance by the Union Government as the State Government has given an assurance in this regard.

C. Jayaram, Environmental Officer, BMRCL, said that the study conducted by the experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) has concluded that it is safe to have underground tunnel for metro in the Central Business District.

Mr. Jayaram said that there was no threat to the groundwater level in the central zone as the study had indicated that there had been a slight increase in the ground water level in the central zone owing to leakage from drinking water pipelines and sewer.

D.D. Pahuja, Director, BMRCL, said that people having shops and residences in areas where the metro will go underground will not be inconvenienced when the tunnel is being dug beneath their structures thanks to the deployment of sophisticated equipment.

The BMRCL officials have allayed the fears of some businessmen by clarifying that it will not pass through Avenue Road.

To a query on whether the metro will run to Electronics City, Mr. Sivasailam said that it was a matter to be decided by the State Government.