Citizens body urges PM Modi, Siddaramaiah to speed up Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project
Bengaluru (PTI): A citizens' organisation has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to personally intervene to expedite Corridor-1 of the BSRP.
The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) was commissioned in 2020 to connect Bengaluru with its suburbs and satellite towns via dedicated rail corridors -- similar to suburban rail systems in Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.
The project with an estimated cost of Rs 15,767 crore was supposed to be completed in December 2025, but now March 2030 is the fresh deadline given by the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) (K-RIDE), a joint venture of the Ministry of Railways and the Karnataka government.
The Citizens for Citizens (C4C) has said that there was unacceptable delays in the crucial Majestic-Kempegowda International Airport corridor, a project expected to significantly improve the quality of life for nearly two crore people in and around Bengaluru.
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In a detailed letter to Modi and Siddaramaiah, the group said the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project, being executed by K-RIDE, has fallen far behind schedule despite its strategic importance to the city's public transport ecosystem and the state government holding a 51 per cent stake in the implementing agency.
In the letter to Siddaramaiah on January 23, the C4C founder and convener Rajkumar Dugar said, "BSRP being executed by K-RIDE - in which GoK has 51 per cent stake - is running way behind schedule."
The forum recalled that the project was reviewed by the Prime Minister on December 31, 2025, during which directions were issued for speedy execution.
The citizens' body pointed out that when BSRP was sanctioned in October 2020, Corridor-1 was considered the most vital stretch connecting the city centre to the airport.
The stretch was prioritised for completion within 36 months, which was also endorsed by the State's Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT).
However, Dugar noted that even 63 months after sanction, no on-ground work has commenced on the corridor.
Highlighting the missing deadlines, C4C founder said, "63 months post-sanction, on-ground work is yet to start on Corridor-1, and shockingly, the latest target for completion of C1 is March 2030, i.e., 50 months from now." This, he said, would mean a total of 113 months for a project originally planned for completion in three years.
He requested a strong budgetary allocation for C1 in the upcoming budget as well as facilitation of Land Acquisition (LA) along with directions for C1 to be completed in next 24 months.
"We firmly believe with your kind intervention, January 2028 for commissioning of C1 is 100 per cent doable," Dugar said in his letter to Modi and Siddaramaiah.
While laying foundation stone for the BSRP in June 2022, the Prime Minister had announced that the project which was delayed for 40 years would be completed in 40 months. With this announcement, Modi had set a deadline of December 2025.
As the project delayed, the Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil announced in February 2024 that the project would be completed by December 2027.
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Adequate LPG stock in Chhattisgarh, no need to panic, says CM Sai
Raipur (PTI): Amid reports of shortage of commercial LPG cylinder in several parts of the country due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday assured people that they need not worry about the availability of cooking gas in the state.
He asserted that adequate stock of LPG as well as petrol and diesel was available in the state.
Sai said in a statement that authorities have been directed to regularly monitor stock at gas agencies and keep a close watch on the supply chain. Necessary instructions were issued to officials in all districts to ensure a smooth supply of LPG.
The chief minister instructed officials to take strict action if any complaint of black marketing or hoarding of LPG cylinders is received.
Sai urged state residents not to pay attention to rumours and to book cooking gas cylinders as per their actual requirement.
The government was fully alert to ensure the availability of essential commodities to citizens, he emphasised.
Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh Hotel and Restaurant Association has issued an advisory to hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food businesses across the state, urging them to maintain calm and avoid panic buying.
In the advisory, Taranjeet Singh Hora, president of the association, asked members to maintain coordination and immediately inform it about any major disruption in LPG supply.
He cautioned businesses against hoarding cylinders, saying such practices could worsen the situation for the entire hospitality sector.
The association advised hotels and restaurants to prioritise essential kitchen operations, core menu items and already committed banquet events.
Use electric cooking equipment wherever possible for emergency and staff kitchens such as induction cooktops, electric hot plates, electric rice cookers and kettles, the advisory stated.
