ABIDe keen on DMRC presentation

ABIDe keen on DMRC presentation
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The much-debated high speed rail link (HSRL) from the city centre to Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) was again a point of discussion during a meeting of the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) on Monday.
The proposed HSRL has been in the news over the government’s reported plans for alternative projects and counter contentions by E Sreedharan, MD, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). While the government is moving ahead with a plan to link the city to BIA on existing South Western Railway lines, it’s learned the ABIDe task force has also expressed willingness to the possibility of DMRC making a formal presentation for the HSRL. The DMRC had done the detailed project report for the project.
The case against HSRL, in administrative circles, is pegged to the contention that the amount estimated for the project — around Rs 4,000 crore — is too high to be spent on a dedicated corridor benefiting only a section of the people.
The money could well be spent on improving road corridors in bad shape, apart from laying new roads, according to critics of HSRL.
OTHER PROJECTS
Transportation and infrastructure were focus areas at the meet. According to official sources, the task force is now trying to ensure visibility for progress on plans lined up over the past couple of months. The inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday is a step in this direction.
While mass transportation models were discussed, the task force members are also identifying arterial roads that could be linked to BDA’s proposed peripheral ring road (PRR).