Bengaluru Metro Funding Row: Tejasvi Surya Says Centre Committed ₹41,557 Cr Against Karnataka’s ₹36,332 Cr

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has said the Centre’s commitment to Namma Metro is larger than Karnataka’s, disputing the State government’s claim that it carries 84% of the network’s cost. In a post on X reported by UNI on 7 November, Surya said the Centre has committed ₹41,557 crore to Bengaluru Metro’s various phases against ₹36,332 crore from the State.

By those figures, the Centre’s share would be about 53% of the ₹77,889 crore total. Surya challenged Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to acknowledge the Centre’s financial backing for the project ahead of the Pink Line inauguration.

Two sets of numbers

The two totals are almost the same, but the split is very different, because each side counts the money differently. Gowda’s figures cover Phases 1, 2, 2A and 2B and the estimated cost of Phase 3. He has said that although the Centre arranges loans from international lenders, the State repays them, and that Karnataka also pays for land acquisition and cost escalation. Neither side has published a phase-wise breakdown that would allow the claims to be reconciled.

Gowda said the State is “effectively investing nearly five rupees for every rupee contributed by the Centre,” against the 50:50 Centre-State model used for many metro projects.

Row continues as Pink Line opens

Surya, Shivakumar and Gowda shared the stage and the inaugural ride on Friday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the 7.5 km elevated section of the Pink Line from Kalena Agrahara to SG Palya, taking Namma Metro past 100 km. Gowda called for a shared State-Centre commitment to a faster, larger metro network.

Surya: Bengaluru at 500

On the day of the inauguration, Surya posted a series of messages on X, in English and Kannada, linking the city’s growth to its founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda and to Prime Minister Modi’s visits. He noted that Bengaluru turns 500 in 2037 and said the goal should be to make it “one of the world’s Top-10 most liveable cities with world-class mobility, infrastructure and quality of life.”

Sponsored

“Every visit of PM @narendramodi Ji to Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, feels like a ‘habba’, bringing new development projects and opportunities for our people!” Surya wrote, adding that smaller projects that “rarely make headlines” make “an extraordinary difference to ordinary lives.”

He also quoted Kannada poet Gopalakrishna Adiga’s line “Kattuvevu naavu hosa naadondanu” (“We shall build a new land”), linking it to the Centre’s Viksit Bharat 2047 goal.

Karnataka has also asked the Centre to speed up approvals, citing the Sarjapur-Hebbal Red Line, whose proposal has been pending for nearly 22 months.

Also Read: Bengaluru Metro Funding: Karnataka Says It Bears 84% of Cost, Seeks Bigger Central Share Ahead of PM Modi’s Visit

Read nextBengaluru Metro Blue Line: Trial Run Covers 6 km From Baiyappanahalli Depot to Doddanekundi on ORR Corridor11 Nov 2026

Add Metro Rail News as a preferred source on Google