A high-level committee chaired by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh has approved the allocation of nine acres of land near Hebbal to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), significantly reducing the original request of 45 acres. The decision was made despite appeals from notable figures such as Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, former Infosys director Mohandas Pai, and Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, who represents Bengaluru North in the Lok Sabha.

Initially, BMRCL had planned a state-of-the-art multi-modal transport hub and had sought 45.5 acres for the purpose. However, in a surprising shift, the agency scaled down its request to just nine acres.

Shobha Karandlaje, along with MPs Tejasvi Surya (Bengaluru South), PC Mohan (Bengaluru Central), and MLA S Suresh Kumar, had urged the government to allocate the full land area, citing the metro hub’s strategic importance in easing congestion across the city.

Allegations have surfaced suggesting that influential real estate interests lobbied the government to scrap or reduce the hub project. A meeting led by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on 5 May directed BBMP officials to revise the design, fuelling public scepticism about BMRCL receiving the land it originally sought.

For over 15 months, BMRCL maintained its request for 45 acres, envisioning a comprehensive hub featuring a metro depot, multi-level parking, and a tri-junction linking the blue, orange, and red metro lines, including access to the airport route.

In March last year, BMRCL formally requested 45.5 acres from KIADB, which had earlier acquired 55.13 acres in the Hebbal and Hebbal Amanikere areas from Lake View Tourism Company Limited—a project that has since stalled.

Despite the backing and the strategic significance of the proposed facility, BMRCL has now been asked to drastically revise its land and design requirements.