Bengaluru Metro Rail Corp extends Metro Airport line tender due to lockdown

Due to the raging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the much-anticipated KR Puram to KIA Metro line via Hebbal has been further delayed. The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) has extended the deadline for tenders for the Reach 2B line by one month and the new deadline has been set to June 14. On April 20, the Centre gave its approval for the 38.44 km airport line with 17 stations, and the contract was due to be awarded by May 15. The line will be built at a cost of Rs 14,788 crore and will take five years to complete. According to BMRCL Managing Director Rakesh Singh, the postponement was unavoidable because many documents require physical submission, which is currently not possible. The contract for completing balance works in the Reach 6E contract that was terminated has been extended from May 21 to June 21. The contract entails building an elevated viaduct from Jyothipuram station to the KIA terminals, as well as 15 elevated stations along the way. It includes road widening and utility rerouting. Singh also inspected work at the Jayadeva Interchange Metro station, which is currently under construction. M S Channapagoudar, General Manager, BMRCL Land Acquisitions, told the media that the dispute was over 2,000 sq m that the Metro wanted for its Electronic City (1) station and a viaduct on the R V Road-Bommasandra Line. By May 13, the High Court had ordered NICE to turn over the land to the Karnataka Industrial and Development Board. It has also requested that the Special Land Acquisition Officer determine the amount of compensation that can be paid in exchange for the land. Image SourceAlso Read: Bengaluru metro construction suffers setback due to oxygen shortage