Hebbal-Sarjapur metro line okayed by finance dept

Bengaluru: Namma Metro's Phase 3A, which will connect Sarjapur and Hebbal through the city centre, has crossed a milestone with the state Finance Department giving it in-principle approval. 

Given the significance of the 36.59-km line, which will connect southern and northern Bengaluru, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be placed before the state cabinet by the end of this month, officials said. 

It is noteworthy that the Finance Department cleared the proposal, estimated to cost Rs 28,405 crore, in less than three weeks after the Urban Development Department (UDD) gave its administrative consent. 

LK Atheeq, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance), confirmed the approvals. 

The DPR has been approved without any changes as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is learnt to have stuck to the standard policy. 

The approval also came quickly because there is no proposal to construct a double-decker (road-cum-metro) on this line. 

Phase 3A will have 17 elevated and 11 underground stations, and four interchanges: Iblur on the Outer Ring Road (with Blue Line), Dairy Circle on Bannerghatta Road (Pink Line), KR Circle (Purple Line) and Hebbal (Blue and Orange lines). 

As per the protocol, the Phase 3A file will go back to the UDD where Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, as the Bengaluru development minister, will review it before placing it to the state cabinet for the final consent. It will then be submitted to the Union government, which will bear at least 20% of the project cost, for various statutory clearances. 

In all likelihood, the state government will submit the DPR for the Centre's approval by the end of this financial year. 

Nearly Rs 5,000 crore of the project cost will be required for land acquisition alone, according to officials. 

Officials explained that the DPR was modified before being sent to the government to ensure that the BBMP's 18-km tunnel road project, which is still in the conceptual stage, does not conflict with the metro line. 

DH has learnt that Hebbal was the only sticking point for the metro and tunnel road projects as Namma Metro had planned a depot at the point where the tunnel road was proposed to exit. The issue, officials said, has been sorted.