Namma Metro pink line.
Credit: DH Photo/ S K Dinesh
One more hurdle in the rolling out of Bengaluru’s much-delayed metro rail project has now been cleared with the finance department granting permission to start pre-construction work on two lines. With this, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will be able to commence work on land acquisition and shifting of utilities. Since obtaining various statutory clearances from the Centre is a time-consuming process, BMRCL had similarly sought pre-approval for two lines under Phase 2 from Silk Board to K R Pura and from K R Pura to Kempegowda International Airport. According to BMRCL, Phase 3A will link Hebbal to JP Nagar III Phase and Hosahalli to Kadabagere covering, in all, 43 km. Phase 3B will link Sarjapur to Hebbal, a distance of 36 km. BMRCL generally requires more than two years to complete works such as taking possession of the land, shifting utilities, and seeking approvals to cut trees. Now, with the finance department’s approval, these activities can begin immediately even without the Centre’s sanction, thus saving crucial time.
Compared to other metro rail projects in the country, Bengaluru’s has been losing time. The foundation stone for Namma Metro was laid in June 2006 and Phase I became operational in 2011. Bengaluru currently has an operational line of less than 74 km. While Delhi Metro, construction on which began in 1998, has more than 217 km of route length, Chennai (54 km), Mumbai (47 km), Ahmedabad (38 km), all of which started later than Bengaluru, seem to be proceeding faster. Several factors have led to Namma Metro work proceeding slower than desired. This includes defaults by contractors and, in some instances, poor planning. For instance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated a stretch between K R Pura and Whitefield, but the link connecting K R Pura to Bayappanahalli was missing at the time. Thus, commuters travelling on the Purple Line had to alight at Bayappanahalli and take a feeder bus to K R Pura to resume their journey to whitefield. While it may be harsh to repeat the often expressed view that Namma Metro seems to lack a commonsensical approach, it may be necessary to fix accountability on BMRCL officials for certain failures.
While at times the BMRCL has functioned without a full-time Managing Director, its current head Anjum Parvez also holds concurrent charge as Commissioner in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department. The head of Namma Metro must be allowed to focus fully on the metro project and deliver it on time. Unless each phase of the metro is completed on time, it will lose its utility even when complete as people would have resorted to buying new vehicles in the interim.