The Bengaluru Metro project is running years behind schedule.
The Namma Metro project in Bengaluru received a financial boost from the city's Biocon Foundation, headed by Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.
The Foundation will spend Rs 65 crore for a metro station at Hebbagodi as part of Phase 2 of the metro project. The station will be on the R V Road to Bommasandra line.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the Biocon Foundation on Thursday.
The funding for the station, which is on the route to the Biocon premises on Hosur Road, will be part of Biocon's corporate social responsibility or CSR activities. The BMRCL will approach the centre to name the station Biocon Hebbagodi Metro Station. The Foundation would also improve the footpath near the station and build a foot over bridge.
Bengaluru has notoriously bad traffic - and the hope is once the metro services cover the whole city, commuting would be easier. The mega project is however years behind schedule. The lockdown caused financial losses and even now ridership figures are much lower than in pre-Covid times.
In a news release, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, founder and managing trustee, Biocon Foundation, said, "We are pleased to partner with BMRCL for the construction of the metro station at Hebbagodi on Hosur Road. Through our contribution of Rs 65 crore, we are fulfilling our responsibility towards environmental sustainability by providing an alternate means of mobility for the citizens of Bengaluru. This project will help in easing traffic congestion by enabling greater use of public transportation."
Ajay Seth, managing director of BMRCL, said "We are extremely happy to have Biocon Foundation for coming forth with their support for sustainable urban development and urban transport. BMRCL is committed to and is working actively to add 128 km of new metro network in the coming five years."