Karnataka govt appoints new MD for K-RIDE amidst implementation of Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project

Bengaluru: The state government has appointed a new managing director for K-RIDE, which is implementing the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP). 

Govinda Reddy, Joint Secretary of the Infrastructure Development, Ports and Inland Water Transport Department, has been placed in concurrent charge of the Railway Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka (K-RIDE) with immediate effect. He is a 2013-batch IAS officer. 

He relieves N Manjula from concurrent charge. 

The appointment comes as a surprise, as K-RIDE had initiated the process to appoint a full-time managing director. 

In a vacancy notice issued on June 2, it invited applications from Central Group 'A' service officers for a three-year deputation as the K-RIDE MD. 

Applicants were required to have at least five years of experience in planning, designing or executing railway-related infrastructure projects. 

July 5, 2025, was the last date to apply. 

The top post at K-RIDE, a joint venture between the Government of Karnataka and the railways, has been a longstanding bone of contention. 

Karnataka, which holds a 51% stake in K-RIDE, has preferred appointing state-cadre IAS officers, while the railways has pushed for appointing a technocrat, citing the project's technical challenges. 

Minister of State for Railways V Somanna said that Karnataka had reluctantly agreed to the railways' request to appoint a technocrat as the MD and noted that the process was "not going all too well". 

"We've given them all cooperation, but the state isn't keeping its side of the bargain," he told DH. 

The 149-km BSRP, which will have four corridors running along the city's railway network, is facing inordinate delays. 

Groundwork began only on two corridors and has come to a halt after L&T Ltd terminated its contract recently. The revised deadline (2028) also looks unrealistic.