Delay in Namma Metro Phase 3 tenders pushes deadline to 2031, costs rise 5%
Bengaluru: The delay in inviting civil work tenders for Namma Metro’s Phase 3 has pushed the project deadline by six months to May 2031 and increased costs by 5 per cent to over ₹16,300 crore, officials said as reported by Deccan Herald.
Phase 3, spanning 44.65 km across two corridors, received Union Cabinet approval on August 16, 2024, and its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 10 this year. However, the state government’s plan for a double-decker (metro-cum-road) flyover along the route has stalled progress.
Land acquisition, utility shifting and tree clearance are still pending. Of the 6,72,117 sqm required, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) is yet to take possession. The corporation has also sought full state funding of ₹9,612 crore for the double-decker plan, which awaits cabinet clearance.
Civil tenders, split into eight packages, are expected to be floated by mid-September and finalised by November. Work is likely to begin by December or January. Funding will include a ₹6,770-crore loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The final approval is expected by November.
The Phase 3 project includes Corridor 1 from JP Nagar 5th Phase to Kempapura (32.15 km, 22 stations) and Corridor 2 from Hosahalli to Kadabagere (12.5 km, 9 stations). Construction is expected to take five and a half years.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
