Bangalore Namma metro- An expensive venture
Delay in construction work, for unlikely reasons, is likely to raise the stakes and escalate the cost of construction vehemently. The Bangalore metro construction work holds true in this regard as the cost of the project has hit the roof with Rs 15352 crore from Rs 6395, since 2007.
According to market reports, presence of an amiss in the system has delayed the work significantly. Delay in implementation has led to a loss of Rs 50 lakh per day. The metro work was sanctioned in 2007 at Rs 6395 crore, Rs 193 crore for every km. In the coming years, it was revised and estimated at Rs 11609 crore, and ultimately the bar rose to Rs 15352 crore setting Rs 465 crore per Km.
Reason for delay
According to the officials of BMRCL, Phase-1 was till all hours mainly because of delaying in awarding of the contracts for the underground section. Even after getting approval from the government, the central has delayed some crucial step in for early commissioning of the project.
Market sources further confirm that pointing of certain aspects by the Planning Commission about the project has led to holding up of the central clearance. Planning Commission’s seeking of clarification from the BMRC in regard to certain issues has also delayed the implementation process.
Why the cost of proposed Tamil Nadu metro is less?
Construction of Metro for Tamil Nadu is in the talks and the proposed cost is likely to be much less than Namma Metro. This is due to the reason that the government has sanctioned an underground metro without facing any land acquisition problem.
According to government officials, the estimated cost for Tamil Nadu metro is Rs 300 crore for every km, which is much less than the proposed cost for Namma metro. Namma metro was scheduled to be completed in 2012, which has been delayed due to a number of reasons and now set to complete by 2015. The cost will go off the charts by Rs 4000-Rs 5000 crore, unlike Tamil Nadu metro work which is estimated to get completed on time.
The 15-month deferment between giving a clearance of Phase II by the state government and raising of doubts by the central planning commission is likely to cast ill for the metro project. As a result, such a delay in work and an increase in construction expenses have taken a toll on the livelihood of the common man.
More than 82% of the lower middle class families had to reduce their budget for vegetables significantly. To add to it, more than 87% of lower middle class families cannot afford exotic or seasonal fruits like tomato, potato and onions. Owing to the increased cost, a number of middle class families have been reported to make their living below their standard.
