Bengaluru Suburban Rail Corridor-2 work will be completed in 26 months: Minister MB Patil
Bengaluru, Aug 11: Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil on Friday said the work on the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project corridor-2 between Benniganahalli and Chikkabanavara (25.01 km) will be completed within the set deadline of the next 26 months.
The Minister spoke to reporters after inspecting the progress of work along with Energy Minister K J George and K-RIDE officials. He also visited Lingarapuram, Shampura, Hebbal and Yeshawantpur.
"The BSRP project which runs parallel to the existing South-Western Railway lines has its challenges. However, these will be resolved to ensure completion of the project within 26 months," Patil said.
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The Minister said the officials have been instructed to work towards completing the works related to all four corridors by 2026. Even if it gets delayed due to some unforeseen reasons the project would be ready by 2028, he added.
According to him, the BSRP requires 157 acres of Railway land. He further said existing encroachments and structures on Railway land are being removed. Private land of about 5.11 acres required for laying of tracks has been acquired. Government land of about 2.72 acres has been acquired out of the total 7.73 acres.
Patil said Defence land of about 7.38 acres is required at three locations Jalahalli, Nagawara, and CQAE near Yeswanthpur. Working permission and in-principle approval has been obtained for these three locations from Defence Authorities.
Physical possession is yet to be handed over to KRIDE, Patil explained.
"So far, 10 to 15 per cent of work has been achieved related to corridor-2 and ground works will be over in the next 10 months. The ongoing RUB (Railway Under Bridge) at Shampura will also be completed by then," the minister explained.
After completing Corridor-2, works related to Corridor-3 between Bengaluru and Devanahalli Airport and Corridor-4 between Kengeri and Whitefield will be taken up, Patil said.
He said a proposal has been sent to extend the BSRP to Chikkaballapura, Mysuru, Magadi, Tumakuru, Gowribidanuru, Kolara, and Hosuru. If this gets approved the BSRP would expand to a length of 452 km. Approval has been sought from Railways Department to conduct a pre-feasibility study regarding this.
Tenders have been invited to construct 12 stations under EPC mode (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) along the stretch of corridor 2 and the tender process will be finalised on August 31, Patil said.
The tender process for civil works of corridor-4 is over and bidders will be awarded the works soon. Supply of the first batch of 10 trains will begin in October. 2025, he added.
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Karnataka procured 16 lakh expired RT-PCR kits during Covid wave: D’Cunha commission
Bengaluru: Justice John Michael D’Cunha’s committee has uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing that more than 16 lakh RT-PCR test kits purchased by Karnataka in 2022 under the BJP-led government were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
After irregularities in PPE kit purchases, ventilators have also come under the scanner, with the report highlighting discrepancies amounting to Rs 173.26 crore in purchases made by the Medical Education Department.
The commission has also found that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL) that cancelled a supply order for one lakh Rapid Antigen (RAT) kits placed with a Singapore-based company in March 2020 — for delay in supplying — has not recovered the Rs 6.99 crore paid to the company towards the order, as reported by The Hindu on Thursday.
According to the 279-page report on procurements made by the KSMSCL that is compiled in part IV of the report, a payment of Rs 148.84 crore was made by KSMSCL to various suppliers and firms towards procurement of RT-PCR kits from 2020 to 2022.
The Commission’s report, as cited by the publication, stated that there were records indicating procurement of RT-PCR kits, RNA extraction kits and Viral transport media (VTM) of a total value of Rs 106.25 crore during the pandemic in Karnataka. However, according to the report, this procurement was made without administrative approval.
“Since the KSMSCL has failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility, the loss caused to the State exchequer to this extent is required to be replenished by the erring officers and/or officials of the KSMSCL as well as the officers and/or officials of the consignee designated laboratories who received the consignment,” the report said, pegging the losses due to expired kits supplied by companies at Rs 3.11 crore.
In response to the report’s findings, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticised the saffron party for profiting from the pandemic. He promised accountability for the irregularities involving PPE kits and ventilators, stating that those responsible would face punishment.
