Bengaluru: In the midst of hubbub of the new southwest extension of the purple line on Sunday, urban mobility experts show that only 14 km from the 72 km metro phase, which was approved in 2014, was completed.
They also expressed concern over costs.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has spent 1,820 crore Rs on the Southwestern 7.5 km extension, MySore Road to Kengeri, which translates to an average of Rs 243 Crore per km.
This includes land acquisition fees.
“If you exclude land components, the cost per km is around Rs 181 Crore,” said an official BMRCL.
The original deadline for metro line is December 2018, but faced with recurring delays.
While BMRCL bestowed the Mysuru Road-Pattanagere section to IL & FS Engineering in April 2015, Soma Enterprises received a contract for Pattanagere to Challaghatta depot in March 2016.
In 2018, IL & FS experienced a financial crisis, which slowed the work between Mysore Road and Pattanagere.
BMRCL works with sub-vendors and IL & FS contractors to complete work.
Pandemics and locking subsequently affect the power of labor, which results in further delays.
E sreedharan, known as Metro Man India, said that every day delayed construction will cost BMRCL around Rs 1.5 Crore more.
The state government is cleared by Namma Metro Phase 2 in 2012 and the center in 2014.
As agreed, the government said that the project would cost around Rs 27,000 Crore and will be completed in 2017.
Then, the deadline is extended to 2020 and then up to 2025.
This has pushed Cost to Rs 30,695 Crore.
On January 2021, the first part of the phase 2 – 6.4-km from Yelachenahalli to the Silk Institute – was inaugurated.
“No one celebrates.
Only 14 km from the Phase 2 project that has been assigned.
The finished part is the extension of the existing Metro line.
Independent corridors have not been assigned,” said the activist urban mobility Sanjeev Dyamannavar.
He added: “The average cost of the Metro corridor that was elevated was Rs 150 Crore to Rs 200 Crore per km.
But it was higher in the case of Bengaluru Metro.
There must be a thorough review of phase 2 performance and officials must be accounted for.” Hyderabad Metro was launched in 2017 and running services on a network of 67 km, while Chennai Metro, began in 2015, at 54 km.
Delhi Metro, launched in 2002, has a network of 389 km.
Mumbai Metro, which began transporting passengers in 2014, developed at a faster pace than Bengaluru, where the operation began in 2011.
BMRCL officials quoted the problem in acquiring land, Pils against tree logging, workers’ misery, lack of workers, Covid-19 , lack of workers, Covid-19, lack of workers and frequent top executive transfers as a reason for postponing projects.
A senior official said that Phase 2 was almost on track now.
B’luru Metro Extension: RS 243CR is spent per km
