KIADB begins private land acquisition for suburban rail depot

The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has kick-started the process to acquire over 26 acres of private land for building one of the two maintenance depots-workshops for the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP). 

The 148.17-km BSRP will have depots at Soladevanahalli and Akkupet (Devanahalli) for stabling and maintaining trains at night. 

The KIADB recently issued a preliminary notification to acquire 1,02,381.68 square metres at Chikkabanavara and Soladevanahalli villages for the depot construction. Landowners will be compensated as per the 2013 land acquisition law. An inquiry has been scheduled for August 29. It will also acquire about 4,000 square metres of kharab land. 

Railway Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Karnataka) requires a total of 52 acres for the Soladevanahalli depot, including 44 acres of private land. 

Private land acquisition will be carried out in two phases: 29 acres in the first phase and 15 acres in the second. 

The Soladevanahalli depot will service trains of the BSRP's Corridors 2 and 3. Corridor 2 (25.01 km) connects Baiyappanahalli with Chikkabanavar via Yeshwantpur. Corridor 3 (35.57 km) will link Kengeri with Whitefield via Majestic. 

Located right next to the proposed Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), the depot will have six 150-metre-long stabling lines, six 200-metre-long inspection, and four 200-metre-long repair lines, according to K-RIDE. 

At both depots, workmen will undertake scheduled inspections, periodical overhaul and major unscheduled repairs of trains. 

The Akkupet depot will service Corridors 1 and 4, according to a senior K-RIDE official. The agency has estimated its land requirement at 51 acres, including five acres of government land, which has already been received. The remaining land will be acquired later. 

K-RIDE called tenders to hire the Detailed Design Consultant (DDC) for both depots and received bids, which are under evaluation. 

This apart, nearly all the required land has been acquired for Corridor 2, a KIADB official directly aware of the matter said. 

The KIADB has notified about 22,000 square metres (5.11 acres) for laying tracks for Corridor 2 and estimated the cost at Rs 280-290 crore, the official added. Once the process is completes, the land will be handed over to K-RIDE. 

This apart, K-RIDE has received about 2.72 acres out of 7.73 acres of state government land. It also expects to get physical possession of 7.38 acres of defence land at Jalahalli, Nagavara and CQAE near Yeswanthpur.