Adani, Tata among major firms eyeing Bengaluru’s ambitious tunnel road project
Bengaluru: Ten of India’s top construction firms, including industry giants Adani Group, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Ltd, and Tata Projects, have expressed interest in building a 16.75-km tunnel road that aims to connect Central Silk Board with Hebbal in Bengaluru.
Representatives from these companies attended a pre-bid meeting recently convened by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE) at its Vasanthnagar headquarters, as reported by Deccan Herald on Tuesday. The newly constituted government body had floated tenders nearly 20 days ago for the design and construction of the three-lane underground twin-tunnel corridor.
Other notable companies present at the meeting included Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, ITD Cementation India, Vishwa Samudra Engineering Ltd, Jayashankar, Ceigall India Ltd, Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, and IRB Infrastructure.
The ambitious project is proposed under a revised Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. As per this plan, the companies are also expected to invest 60% of the project cost (Rs 10,619 crore), besides depositing Rs 44 crore at the time of submitting the bids. In return, the government will provide toll collection rights for 30 years, added the report.
BS Prahallad, Technical Director at B-SMILE, expressed satisfaction over the response and mentioned that top construction companies had sent their representatives to the meeting. "Some have requested us to extend the last date for bid submission given the complexity of the project. They also raised queries about land allocation for debris disposal and the casting yard. We are confident that many will participate in the final bidding,” DH quoted him as saying.
The proposed tunnel project will involve the deployment of eight Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), each expected to drill approximately 2 km annually. The three-lane underground twin tunnel road—which will have a total tunneling length of 33.49 km— has reportedly come under environment, feasibility and technical scrutiny from various stakeholders.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
