<p>Bengaluru: BJP’s Munirathna locked horns with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over having a station at Bettahalasuru under the Metro Phase 2B.</p>.<p>The Bettahalasuru station was dropped after Embassy Group failed to honour an agreement of funding it, Shivakumar stated in his written reply.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Munirathna questioned the government’s decision. “The station was in the DPR that was approved in 2018. What does Embassy have to do with this? You can’t deprive citizens of a metro station just because they didn’t pay,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shivakumar said Munirathna has 70-80 acres of land there.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“That’s why he wants a metro station,” he said. “We allow stations to be named after those who sponsor the construction under CSR. Embassy has about 250 acres and they agreed to pay Rs 120 crore out of the total cost of Rs 140 crore. However, they paid only Rs 1 crore,” he explained.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Munirathna quipped that Embassy would pay up in 24 hours if they get a call from Shivakumar.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“If there’s anybody builders will listen to, it’s Shivakumar,” he said. To this, Shivakumar said: “Why should I pressure them? We’re ready to name the station ‘Munirathna and Co’ if you are willing to sponsor it.”</p>
<p>Bengaluru: BJP’s Munirathna locked horns with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over having a station at Bettahalasuru under the Metro Phase 2B.</p>.<p>The Bettahalasuru station was dropped after Embassy Group failed to honour an agreement of funding it, Shivakumar stated in his written reply.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Munirathna questioned the government’s decision. “The station was in the DPR that was approved in 2018. What does Embassy have to do with this? You can’t deprive citizens of a metro station just because they didn’t pay,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shivakumar said Munirathna has 70-80 acres of land there.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“That’s why he wants a metro station,” he said. “We allow stations to be named after those who sponsor the construction under CSR. Embassy has about 250 acres and they agreed to pay Rs 120 crore out of the total cost of Rs 140 crore. However, they paid only Rs 1 crore,” he explained.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Munirathna quipped that Embassy would pay up in 24 hours if they get a call from Shivakumar.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“If there’s anybody builders will listen to, it’s Shivakumar,” he said. To this, Shivakumar said: “Why should I pressure them? We’re ready to name the station ‘Munirathna and Co’ if you are willing to sponsor it.”</p>
