Bumpy ride for Bangalores high-speed rail project
Just days ahead of a call for proposals from a set of private consortia who have qualified to build Bangalores biggest PPP infrastructure project...
Just days ahead of a call for proposals from a set of private consortia who have qualified to build Bangalores biggest PPP infrastructure project in recent times a Rs 5,76-crore high-speed rail link HSRL to the citys new airport there are worries that differences of opinion within the Karnataka government could derail the project.
One strong advocate of the HSRL that promises airport check-in at central Bangalore and transfer in 20 minutes to the new airport located 33 km away,low-cost aviation entrepreneur,Captain Gopinath,has already fallen victim for purportedly espousing the HSRL. Captain Gopinath who was chairman of a vision group on Bangalore infrastructure,one of several such groups constituted by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa,was forced to resign last month for ostensibly demanding speedy implementation of the HSRL when other key constituents of the government expressed reservations.
These reservations have been coming from the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development ABIDE another expert group put together by the Yeddyurappa government and chaired by Member of Parliament and Capt Gopinaths rival in the parliamentary polls H N Ananth Kumar. These misgivings have largely revolved around the high cost of the project and accessibility for frequent airport users.
Proposed four years ago,when the new Bangalore International Airport was being completed,the high-speed rail link to the airport has been vetted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation,approved at two state Cabinet meetings,approved for Central government funding and has seen unprecedented private interest for implementation,say the supporters of the project in the state government.
Alternative proposals like extension of a metro rail link to the new airport or a once-shelved dedicated expressway project being hinted at by opponents of the high-speed rail link,could all be too many years in the making,say officials in the state Urban Development and Infrastructure Development departments.
The secretary of the Infrastructure Department conveyed concern over the delay in the implementation of the high-speed rail project and made a presentation of a Rs 9-crore study prepared by the DMRC. This was about the time ABIDE wanted a re-look. Based on this presentation,I recommended that the government must speedily implement the project, says the former Bangalore infrastructure vision group chairman Capt Gopinath.
Soon after,he issued public statements recommending the HSRL,in early November,even as the BJP government battled a crisis. Capt Gopinath says he was asked by the government to relinquish his position as chairman of the infrastructure vision group.
There will always be the interest of various lobbies at stake,it may be the IT sector or the automobile sector,but the government cannot be dilly-dallying forever. In India,infrastructure projects have for long been implemented in the interest of lobbies they must be implemented in the interest of the public, said Capt Gopinath.
The expression of interest in the project by major consortia proves its viability and cost concerns are misplaced,he said.
Among the consortia bidding for the project are Reliance Infrastructure Ltd and CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Company Ltd; Lamp;T Transco Ltd; Italian-Thai Development Public Co Ltd amp; ITD Cementation India Ltd; Pioneer Infratech Pvt Ltd amp; Siemens Project Ventures and Lanco Infratech Ltd amp; OHL Concesiones SL.
According to Karnataka Infrastructure Development Principal Secretary V Madhu,connectivity concerns over the project are on account of lack of public knowledge that the ongoing Bangalore Metro Rail project when completed will provide seamless connectivity from most parts of the city to the proposed Central Airport Terminal of the HSRL.
The state governments land acquisition cost for the project is Rs 532 crore,the Central government has assured funding of Rs 1,050 crore and the private developer will bring in the remaining investment. There should not be a cost concern, he said.
According to member of the Infosys board T V Mohandas Pai,who is a part of ABIDE,what the IT industry wants is to be a part of rail network that is being put in place for the new airport.
We want a rail link to the airport. If the link is from the city,we must be part of the rail network that connects to that link, Pai said,while emphasising that there is no IT industry opposition to the HSRL per se.
According to the Managing Director of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation N Sivasailam,There is no conflict between the Metro and the HSRL for airport connectivity. The Metro alignment will be separate from the HSRL alignment.
Sources in the Urban Development Department and the Infrastructure Department are at a loss to explain the opposition to the project that emerged around September this year.
We dont know whether the question marks began appearing as a result of the recent political crisis in the ruling BJP,whether real estate lobbies interested in reviving a shelved expressway project are involved or whether it is cost concerns but there has been pressure against the HSRL, sources said.
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