BMRCL assures expediting foot overbridge project

The long-pending foot overbridge project to connect the Yeshwantpur railway station and the metro station got underway, with BMRCL officials surveying the place this week and holding discussions with their railway counterparts.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited managing director Mahendra Jain said the Yeshwantpur visit, during which Bengaluru Divisional Railway Manager R S Saxena was also present, was fruitful.

In 2016, the BMRCL proposed the foot overbridge project to the railways, which asked for Rs 7.49 crore towards leasing the land for 35 years, besides maintenance and supervision of the bridge.

This week's visit follows a June 17 report in DH, in which railway officials said they have not received a response from the BMRCL regarding the offer.

Jain said BMRCL would urge the railways that the two organisations should not keep levying unnecessary charges against each other like leasing and maintenance and supervision since the project would be mutually beneficial.

"We'll request them to facilitate the project," Jain said. "The cost sharing and the commercial benefits proportionate to the length of the FOB (foot overbridge) in the areas of both the parties would be a fair and reasonable proposition."

"If they insist that we should build the FOB, we'll certainly do that. But the project and its commercial rights will (then) naturally belong to us," he added.

On the question of waiving the charges, Saxena said he could make a decision only after receiving the BMRCL's proposal. "Decisions would be made on the basis of the rules governing such projects," he told DH.

In a sign that the BMRCL wants to expedite the project, the metro company has announced that its land dispute with the railways will not come in the way of the FOB project.

"As for the ownership dispute over the intervening land, we have deposited the acquisition amount in the court. The compensation would go to the rightful owner, be it the private owner or the railways, which the court would decide," Jain said.