The construction work for the Namma Metro link to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) saw a boost as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) was finally successful in procuring the 93,000 square meters of land costing Rs 340 crore from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Ballari Road.
The BMRCL has acquired the land from Hebbal to trumpet interchange (24 km) for developing an elevated metro line.
The land was given to the metro corporation last week, told Chennappa Goudar, General Manager for Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation, BMRCL to a national daily. He further said, the work under the project is carried in phased manner and under Phase II A and B, the metro corporation is looking forward to build a 55-km line from Central Silk Board to KIA. The line goes via KR Puram, Nagawara and Hebbal.
“The NHAI had acquired the land a decade ago after paying compensation to the property owners. These properties are located on the right side of the highway from Hebbal. The BMRCL has paid Rs 340 crore to the NHAI as compensation that includes interest for all these years. The land was acquired after a joint survey. However, we need additional land to build stations at various points on the National Highway. The land acquisition process is under way,” Goudar added.
Earlier, the highway authority had acquired the land along the National Highway due to a request of the State government to develop a high speed rail network connecting MG Road to KIA via Hebbal.
The NHAI has indentified the land in 2010-11 while widening and building an expressway. Later on, the government decided to hold the high speed rail link project and asked the BMRCL to plan for building a metro line connecting the airport.
The BMRCL, post years of planning, decided to build the line from KR Puram to the airport. The State Cabinet gave a thumbs up the metro plan in January 2019 with an estimated cost of Rs 10,584 crore.
