RFQ for rail link to be sent to Centre

RFQ for rail link to be sent to Centre

Anil Kumar Sastry

BANGALORE: The Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation (KSIIDC) will send the Request for Qualification (RFQ) for the proposed High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) between the city centre and the international airport to the Union Government after HSRL was approved by the State Cabinet in Belgaum last week.

KSIIDC, the nodal agency to execute the HSRL project, invited expression of interest (EOI) in August last for the project. Based on the EOI, technical bids (RFQ) were also received and had to be evaluated. As the Union Government felt that evaluation of technical bids were not in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, the RFQs are being sent to the Finance Ministry, said sources in the Infrastructure Development here.
Central funding

The Government will seek viability gap funding from the Union Government at the rate of 20 per cent of the project cost while the State will offer another 20 per cent funding. This is required as the project was being executed under public-private partnership (PPP). As per the EOI, the project would be awarded to the bidder quoting the highest premium. In the event of no bidder offering premium, then the project would have to be awarded to the bidder who seeks the lowest grant.

Even as the procedural requirements with the Union Government were being met, land acquisition process has to start, the sources said. The project is estimated to require 53 hectares of land, including around 17 hectares of Government and Municipal land.
Land acquisition

While the project is estimated to cost around Rs. 6,000 crore, the State Government is supposed to acquire the land at its cost. The Government has to make budgetary provision for land acquisition, the sources said. The station at BRV will also have check-in facility for air passengers and the fares will be Rs. 200 from BRV, Rs. 150 from Hebbal and Rs. 100 from Yelahanka to the airport.