BMRCL board confident of meeting Dec deadline

BMRCL board confident of meeting Dec deadline
Bangalore, June 15, DHNS:

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) board met here on Tuesday to review the progress of in the ‘Namma Metro’ project.

BMRCL Chairman M Ramahandran who later spoke to Deccan Herald, said the board is confident of meeting the December 2010 deadline to commission Reach-1 of the project running from Baiyappanahalli to Chinnaswamy Cricket stadium.

“The plan is to have the clearance from the Commissioner for Railway Safety and test the tracks by October-November,” he said. On the funding of Phase-2 of the project, Ramachandran, who is also secretary to Union Ministry of Urban Development, said the project, estimated to cost Rs 15,000 crore, could be considered under a public-private-partnership model.

“BMRCL could be looking at a PPP formula, if it is feasible. Hyderabad has opted for a PPP model. At the same time, the 12th five year plan could have an increase in funds for urban transportation projects. Funding for Phase-2 will be decided after the detailed project report is submitted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited,” he said.

Phase-2 of the project is expected to be 51.3-km long and will extend the present corridor from Peenya to the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre and Baiyappanahalli to ITPL in Whitefield on the North-South corridor and Puttenahalli to Anjanapura Layout and Mysore Road to Kengeri Satellite Town on the East-West corridor. The 42.3-km Phase-1 of the project is being implemented at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore by the Centre and State governments, who are both equity partners in the project.