Karnataka Chief Secretary-led committee reviews metro's plan at Hebbal

Bengaluru: A high-powered committee led by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh met on Monday to review Namma Metro's revised design for Hebbal, where three metro lines, a suburban railway line and the proposed tunnel road will converge. 

What transpired at the meeting is not immediately known as the details were not officially disclosed. 

The key point that likely came up for discussion includes Namma Metro's land requirement at the busy junction.

Initially, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) had sought a total of 45 acres for building a depot to induct trains operating on the Hebbal-Sarjapur metro line (Phase 3A) as well as a multi-modal hub, including parking facilities. 

The identified land was originally acquired for a private project about two decades ago, but the developer had not made payments on time. As a result, the land remained in the custody of the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB). 

The private developer, whose name is not disclosed officially, is learnt to have been lobbying with the government to revive the old agreement by showing a court ruling and a 2023 government order renewing the agreement. 

The Congress-led government was in a Catch-22 situation as Namma Metro also sought the same piece of land for a public project. 

In a recent meeting, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Industries Minister MB Patil reportedly directed Namma Metro to scale down its land requirement so that it can fulfill the wishes of both parties.

Based on this, the BMRCL went back to the drawing board and revised its proposal from 45 acres to just nine acres. The final design does not have a depot at Hebbal, it is learnt. 

This also means an increase in the operational cost, a drop in frequency of metro services, and overdependence on one depot, which is planned at Sarjapur, among others.