Bangalore:
The Prime Minister's Office is likely to decide when Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited can get the impending railway clearances from the Ministry of Railways. According to S Mani, Division Railway Manager, South Western Railway, Bangalore, the Prime Minister's Office is skeptical about leasing out Central Government's land to Public Sector Units like Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited following the recent spate of land related scams in the country.
"Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited when needs permission to construct stations and lay Metro lines on land that is contiguous with the Railways. After a series of land scams in the country, the Prime Minister's Office is reluctant to grant government land to Public Sector Units. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited is also one such Public Sector Units," said Mani. He added the Ministry of Railways, has forwarded Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited's clearance applications to the Prime Minister's Office for approval.
Meanwhile, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited has consistently blamed the Ministry of Railways for the delay in clearing 6 impending Metro constructions on railway land. At a recent conference, N Sivasailam, managing director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, said that the underground construction work of Namma Metro is also being delayed due to pending clearances from the Railways. He implied that the entire project is being delayed because of these clearances.
While Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited has transferred the blame onto the Railways, the Divisional Railway Manager alleged that the Metro Corporation delayed the submission of designs in one case, submitted faulty designs and in another case, even occupied land illegally, in the case of the Swastik station.
The Divisional Railway Manager alleged that the land for the Metro station at Swastik Circle was acquired illegally by Hamara Shelters and the case was in court.
He also added that Hamara Shelters was a unit of Mantri Developers. In the case of the foot-over bridge at the Byappanahalli station, he said that Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited had to submit revised drawings which have delayed the entire process.
At a recent conference organised by CII on Project Management, Sivasailam said that in India, project managers are forced to deal with issues of land, litigation and environment simultaneously with the project.
He contrasted it with other countries where pre-project issues are addressed first and then the project begins. He used the tussle with the Ministry of Railways for clearances as an example of 'parallel problems' that his project has to deal with.
With the Prime Minister's Office reluctant to lease land out to Public Sector Units fearing a misuse of land and money, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited will need to wait till the Prime Minister's Office reposes faith in such mega-projects again.