Govt buys more time for Metro take-off

Govt buys more time for Metro take-off
Bangalore, Feb 25, DHNS:

The City’s Namma Metro is not going to have its rail system up and running anytime soon.

After making—and breaking —several promises of an early launch, the State government has pushed the deadline for completing all reaches of the Bangalore Metro Rail project to March 2013. The previous deadline was September 2012 and two other, prior to the last one, were 2011 and 2010.

In his address to the joint session of the State Legislature, Governor H R Bhardwaj said the government would ensure that all reaches of the Metro project are commissioned by March 2013.

Under Phase I, there are four reaches besides the underground routes. Through the governor’s address, the government claimed that when it took over the reins of governance the Metro’s progress was 0.1 per cent and it now stood at 22.4 per cent with the construction of Phase 1 in full swing.

Work on the Byappanahalli-MG Road segment was progressing rapidly with 70 per cent completion. This segment, Bhardwaj said, would commence operations by December 2010.