Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project to finish by December 2027: Minister M B Patil
Bengaluru: The Minister was speaking to reporters here at the signing of the MoU between the Karnataka government and the KfW Development Bank of Germany for funding the BSRP project. The bank will lend ₹4,561 crore at an annual interest rate of four per cent interest for 20 years.
N Manjula, Managing Director of K-RIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company-Karnataka), which is the nodal agency to complete the project, and Wolf Muth, Country Director, KFW Development Bank signed and exchanged the documents in the presence of Patil, who holds the infrastructure development portfolio.
This is the supplementary agreement between Germany's KfW Development Bank and K-RIDE followed by the primary agreement on December 15, 2023 between the Department of Economic Affairs of the Government of India and KfW for the disbursal of ₹4,561 Crore.
"We intend to complete all the four corridors by December 2027," the Minister said.
According to him, the funding is for Corridor-1 from Bengaluru City Railway Station to Devanahalli and Corridor-3 from Kengeri to Whitefield.
"We have not yet started Corridor-1 and Corridor-3 for want of funds. Now that we have got funds we will take up the project," the minister explained.
Phase one of Corridor-2 from Chikkabanavara to Yeshwantpur will be completed by June 2025 and phase two from Yeshwantpur to Benniganahalli will be finished by June 2026. From Benniganahalli to Rajanukunte stretch under Corridor-4 will be completed in December 2026, Patil said.
Corridor-1 has been split into two parts. The first part from Yelahanka to Devanahalli will be finished by December 2026 while Bengaluru City to Yelahanka will be completed by December 2027.
The Minister also underlined that the BSRP will not compete with the Metro Rail project but complement it. He also promised to resolve the land acquisition issue pertaining to the Corridor-1 and Corridor-3.
Manjula said, "The project has been planned like the Metro. It has been designed to have a train service every 90 seconds. The operational issues will be decided on the passenger footfall."
The time limit of December 2027 is contradictory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 40-month deadline to finish the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project, which pegged the completion date as December 2025.
While laying the foundation stone of BSRP in Bengaluru in June 2022, the Prime Minister had said that "what had not happened in the past 40 years will be completed in the next 40 months".
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Karnataka: GBA city corporation polls likely between June 14 and 24
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi on Friday said elections to the five city corporations under the GBA will be held anytime between June 14 and June 24.
He said the exact date for the polls will be announced after a week, asserting that the power to postpone the elections, as requested by GBA authorities, lies with the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to conduct Bengaluru local body elections by June 30.
On Friday, the SEC held a consultation meeting with the GBA Chief Commissioner and commissioners of the five city corporations regarding the election schedule, as per the provisions of the GBA Act.
“During the meeting, I informed GBA officials that only the election date has to be fixed, as all other measures and formalities for conducting the polls have already been completed,” Sangreshi said.
“They requested the Commission to consider factors such as rains, exams, census work, SIR, and manpower shortages while fixing the date and sought additional time,” he added.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, “I told them this meeting was not for seeking time. Elections to the five corporations under the GBA must be held before June 30, as directed by the Supreme Court, and a compliance report must be submitted to the court. I do not have the power to postpone the elections as requested.”
The Supreme Court has already given a “final opportunity,” and both the SEC and the government must comply with its directions, the State Election Commissioner said.
He asked GBA officials to suggest suitable dates between June 14 and June 24.
“While stating that they are ready for elections, the officials highlighted operational challenges, including manpower shortages. However, I have informed them that the elections will have to be held between June 14 and June 24. After a week, I will announce the final date,” he said.
Reiterating that he does not have the power to postpone the elections, Sangreshi said the authority rests with the Supreme Court, and elections must be conducted as scheduled.
“We have consulted the GBA as per the rules. It is up to them to suggest a date within the given window. If they need more time, they must approach the court. Our responsibility is to fix the date and complete the polls before June 30,” he said.
The matter regarding manpower and other concerns raised by GBA officials is already before the Supreme Court, and the State Election Commission has also filed a petition in this regard. The case is yet to be heard.
“Since the matter has not come up for hearing, the earlier order remains binding. Therefore, preparations are underway,” he added.
The tenure of the previous elected body under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ended on September 10, 2020, and since then, a government-appointed administrator has been managing its day-to-day affairs.
Bengaluru was divided into five municipal corporations—Central, East, West, North, and South—under the Greater Bengaluru Authority in September 2025, replacing the BBMP.
Sangreshi had earlier said that elections to the five corporations would be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines.
This follows the Congress government’s decision last September to recommend the use of ballot papers in all future panchayat and urban local body elections, citing concerns over declining public confidence in EVMs.
The state government subsequently enacted the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2026, paving the way for the use of ballot papers in local body elections.
