Bengaluru's Challaghatta metro project progressing smoothly

The Challaghatta depot, an essential facility for the BMRCL, is making steady progress after resolving two contentious land issues. Valued at Rs 4.99 billion, the depot cum workshop is a part of the Metro's Reach-2 Phase-II extension. Land surveyors from the railways recently visited the depot to assess the land situation. M.S. Channappagoudar, General Manager of Land Acquisition at BMRCL, stated that a total of 45 acres of land had been acquired for the construction of the Challaghatta depot and the associated metro station. An issue arose regarding 1,612 square meters of land owned by the railways. BMRCL required only this portion along the Bengaluru-Mysuru railway line to construct a test track for the depot. The Railways agreed to provide the land but requested the acquisition of an additional 960 sq mtr attached to it. They expressed concerns about losing access to that portion once the 1,612 sq mtr were acquired. Two weeks ago, BMRCL agreed to acquire the extra space to address the Railways' concerns. Another land issue involved five acres of land owned by a farmer located within the depot premises. Although the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had acquired the land, the farmer filed a writ petition, dissatisfied with the compensation offered. The court dismissed the petition, and the farmer subsequently filed a writ appeal in the high court. However, there is currently no stay on acquiring the land, and the farmer has agreed to hand over the property to BMRCL and accept the cash compensation, which is double the land value. The Challaghatta depot, situated adjacent to the Challaghatta metro station, is set to become the terminus of the Purple Line. The construction contract for the depot was awarded to a joint venture between Rail Infrastructure Technical and Engineering Services (RITES) and Power Mech Projects Limited on November 22, 2022, with a two-year deadline for completion.