ABIDe convenor questions CM over high-speed rail

ABIDe convenor questions CM over high-speed rail


Express News ServiceFirst Published : 24 Sep 2009 05:10:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 24 Sep 2009 06:59:40 AM IST
BANGALORE: ABIDe — Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development Task Force — has urged CM Yeddyurappa to avoid the practice of giving land to public private participation (PPP) projects as a measure of viability funding.
In a letter written to the CM, ABIDe convenor and Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Wednesday asserted that the government should rely more on “viability gap funding in a transparent manner.” Referring to clearance of the High Speed Rail Link to the airport by the vision group on Karnataka infrastructure, he said that he was surprised at the decision.
“ABIDe had clearly expressed its view on the HSRL that the go-ahead for the project should be based on the viability gap funding that will be required for the project, given the limited financial resources that will be with the government. ABIDe had also recommended that the government should avoid giving land to PPP projects as a measure of viability funding, because of its very non-transparent nature and rely only on viability gap funding in a transparent manner,” he said.
Rajeev Chandrashekhar said, “ABIDe, which was mandated to develop the vision and plan for Bangalore, has been working hard to ensure that development is no longer ad-hoc. This recent decision falls squarely into the category of ad-hocness and further undermines ABIDe’s role and function. I look forward to an urgent clarification on the same from you.”