BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): The Phase-II Metro is in limbo because of land acquisition issues. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is still to hand over land to the contractor to start the construction work. The most critical of the acquisition issues faced by it is for NICE and forest lands as per BMRCL’s fresh newsletter.
“The work on Nagasandra-NIEC corridor is held up because of non-availability of NICE lands. The Karnataka high court stayed the proceedings of acquisition of NICE land for Bommasandra-RV Road corridor and 2 properties in Nagasandra-BIEC corridor,” shows the newsletter.
On forest lands, the state govt has provided BMRCL approval to acquire 18.1 hectares in Kadugodi plantation and also 0.7 hectares in UM Kaval required for Kadugodi & Anjanapura depots sequentially.
“The expert committee constituted by the govt has investigated the area and is still to give permission for cutting/translocation of trees,” said BMRCL. Though the state govt mooted a Mumbai, like war room previous year to fast-track the Metro projects, it’s still to take off.
Given that Namma Metro’s average speed of work is 4 km every year as against 25 km every year in Delhi Metro, experts have urged the govt to resolve land acquisition issues. India’s Metro Man E Sreedharan had said that per day’s delay will cost BMRCL about Rs 1.5 cr higher every day.
Land acquisition for the much-delayed underground corridor among Dairy Circle-Nagawara with 14 km long distance is also expected to be a challenge. The previous year L&T got bids for executing the underground sections from Vellara Junction-Shivajinagar with 2.7 km long distance and Shivajinagar-Pottery Town with 2.8 km distance. It also ordered 4 TBM but the land acquisition issues on certain sections are still to be solved.
Bengaluru Metro has said that it is still to start work on the stretch connecting Tannery Road-Pottery Town as the Wakf Board has not been able to convince its tenants to vacate its shops.
