JOIN USThe months-long spat between the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the South Western Railway (SWR) over the lease of railway land near Majestic for metro work has come to an end.
B L Yashwant Chauhan, BMRCL public relations officer, told Deccan Herald on Thursday that Metro work would resume in Majestic (off Platform Road) once the BMRCL received a letter in this regard from the Railways.
He declined to give details of the settlement formula and the corporation’s mode of payment to the SWR.
Sources in the SWR said the BMRCL had agreed to make a part payment of a balance fee of Rs 20 crore demanded by the Railways.
A senior SWR officer said the BMRCL could carry on with work once the formalities were completed.
However, Suvankar Biswas, PRO, SWR, said he was awaiting an official communication from higher authorities on the settlement of the issue between the South Western Railway and the BMRCL.
The Metro Rail Corporation has already paid the SWR Rs 94 crore, but the Railways had stalled the Metro underground construction work in some areas around Majestic, including off Platform Road, as the BMRCL had not paid the balance fee of Rs 125 crore.
Eviction of workers
On April 17, railway security personnel evicted BMRCL workers and equipment when they arrived to resume work in the area. SWR officials had then said the Railway Board had not granted BMRCL permission to carry on work as it had not paid the balance fee.
On Platform Road, the BMRCL needs land for the construction of a down-ramp for the North-South corridor; in Mahatma Gandhi Colony, land is required for building an underground station.
Some space of the Supervisor’s Training Centre is also required for tunneling works. While work progressed in Mahatma Gandhi Colony, there was a dispute over space at the other two locations.
Around 23,000 square metres of railway land has been allotted to the BMRCL permanently in these areas, in addition to around 9,000 square metres of temporary space.