<p>Bengaluru: A technocrat has been appointed to head K-RIDE, the government agency implementing the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), after more than three years. </p><p>On Thursday, the Railway Board appointed Lakshman Singh, a 1966-batch Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer, as the managing director of Railway Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka (K-RIDE) on deputation for three years. </p><p>The appointment came two days after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his deputation. </p><p>Before his latest appointment, 55-year-old Singh was serving as Chief General Manager (Civil) at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), handling the KR Pura-Hebbal section (11 km) of the Blue Line under Phase 2B. </p><p>Before his deputation to the BMRCL in 2024, Singh worked as Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Bengaluru. </p><p>This is the first time in over three years that a railway officer has been placed at the helm of K-RIDE. Amit Garg, also an IRSE officer, left in August 2022 after a stint as the K-RIDE MD. </p><p>Since then, K-RIDE has had three MDs, all appointed by the state government with concurrent charge. The incumbent is Govinda Reddy, a 2013-batch Karnataka-cadre IAS officer. </p>.DMRC to develop customised data management system for Namma Metro.<p>The top post at K-RIDE, a joint venture between the government of Karnataka and the railways, was a long-standing bone of contention. </p><p>Karnataka, which holds a 51% stake in K-RIDE, has preferred appointing state-cadre IAS officers, while the railways pushed for appointing a technocrat, citing the project's technical challenges. </p><p>Minister of State for Railways V Somanna had earlier told _DH_ that Karnataka had reluctantly agreed to the railways' request to appoint a technocrat as the MD. </p><p>The 149-km BSRP, which will have four corridors running along the city's railway network, is facing inordinate delays. </p><p>Groundwork began only on two corridors but came to a halt after L&T Ltd terminated its contract in July. K-RIDE recently re-tendered Corridor 2 (Mallige Line) and plans to refloat tenders for Corridor 4 in the coming weeks. No groundwork has begun on corridors 3 and 4. </p><p>A 40-month public deadline set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi expired in October. The revised deadline is 2028.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: A technocrat has been appointed to head K-RIDE, the government agency implementing the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), after more than three years. </p><p>On Thursday, the Railway Board appointed Lakshman Singh, a 1966-batch Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer, as the managing director of Railway Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka (K-RIDE) on deputation for three years. </p><p>The appointment came two days after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his deputation. </p><p>Before his latest appointment, 55-year-old Singh was serving as Chief General Manager (Civil) at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), handling the KR Pura-Hebbal section (11 km) of the Blue Line under Phase 2B. </p><p>Before his deputation to the BMRCL in 2024, Singh worked as Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Bengaluru. </p><p>This is the first time in over three years that a railway officer has been placed at the helm of K-RIDE. Amit Garg, also an IRSE officer, left in August 2022 after a stint as the K-RIDE MD. </p><p>Since then, K-RIDE has had three MDs, all appointed by the state government with concurrent charge. The incumbent is Govinda Reddy, a 2013-batch Karnataka-cadre IAS officer. </p>.DMRC to develop customised data management system for Namma Metro.<p>The top post at K-RIDE, a joint venture between the government of Karnataka and the railways, was a long-standing bone of contention. </p><p>Karnataka, which holds a 51% stake in K-RIDE, has preferred appointing state-cadre IAS officers, while the railways pushed for appointing a technocrat, citing the project's technical challenges. </p><p>Minister of State for Railways V Somanna had earlier told _DH_ that Karnataka had reluctantly agreed to the railways' request to appoint a technocrat as the MD. </p><p>The 149-km BSRP, which will have four corridors running along the city's railway network, is facing inordinate delays. </p><p>Groundwork began only on two corridors but came to a halt after L&T Ltd terminated its contract in July. K-RIDE recently re-tendered Corridor 2 (Mallige Line) and plans to refloat tenders for Corridor 4 in the coming weeks. No groundwork has begun on corridors 3 and 4. </p><p>A 40-month public deadline set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi expired in October. The revised deadline is 2028.</p>
