Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has pointed out at the need for a full-time managing director (MD) at K-RIDE, the Centre-State JV executing the Bengaluru suburban rail project, who is also familiar with railway technology.
Responding to a query from Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya in the Lok Sabha on March 19, Vaishnaw said, “Presently, a part-time MD appointed by the Karnataka government is overseeing the project. There is a need for appointing a full time MD who is conversant with railway technology”.
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K-RIDE has not had a full-time Managing Director since July 25, 2022. N Manjula, secretary to Karnataka Infrastructure Development, Ports, and Inland Water Transport Department, holds additional charge of K-RIDE as well as the Kannada and Culture Department.
Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE), a joint venture where the Karnataka government holds 51 percent equity, is implementing the Rs 15,767 crore Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP).
The 148 km project is being funded with 20 percent contributions each from the Centre and the Karnataka state government, while the remaining 60 percent has been raised through debt.
BSRP consists of four corridors - Corridor 1: KSR Bengaluru City to Devanahalli (41 km), Corridor 2: Byappanahalli to Chikkabanavara (25 km), Corridor 3: Kengeri to Whitefield (35 km), and Corridor 4: Heelalige to Rajanukunte (46 km).
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Vaishnaw also blamed the state government for delays in implementation. “While work is in progress on Corridors 2 and 4, only preliminary work has been taken up for Corridors 1 and 3. Indian Railways has transferred its land for the project, but the state government has been slow in transferring its share of land” he said.
He further explained that the completion timeline for railway projects depends on several factors, including land acquisition by the state government, forest clearance, shifting of utilities, statutory approvals, geological and topographical conditions, law and order, and climatic constraints. All these challenges impact the overall progress of the project.
Also Read: Two Bengaluru suburban rail corridors to be ready by Dec 2026: Railways MoS V Somanna
On the status of other railway joint ventures, Vaishnaw stated that there are currently nine state joint venture companies operating under a Centre-State partnership.
“Several public-private partnership (PPP) models, including Non-Governmental Railways (NGR), Joint Ventures (JV), Customer-Funded (CF), Build-Own-Transfer (BOT), and Annuity models, have been implemented. So far, 19 projects have been completed under these models, while 12 are ongoing. Of the joint venture and special purpose vehicle (SPV) railway projects, six are profitable as of March 31, 2024, while the remaining projects are at different stages of construction and operation,” Vaishnaw said.
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