The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is set to float a tender by the end of March for the elevated Namma Metro section on Bannerghatta Road. Work had been stalled after BMRCL terminated the contract earlier this year.
BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth said that the corporation has approached the financial institution funding the project seeking clearance to float the tender.
Recently, the BMRCL terminated the contract awarded to Simplex Infrastructure Limited for poor execution of work on the elevated corridor project. Under Phase II of the Namma Metro project , the BMRCL is building an elevated corridor from Kalena Agrahara to Swagath Cross Road as part of the 21-km Pink Line. The plan includes an underground stretch of 14 km.
Due to financial problems, the previous contractor couldn’t execute the project as per the tender conditions. The BMRCL data showed that in December 2019, the contractor had made 22% progress in civil work, but in February 2021, only 37% was completed. The BMRCL had served notices to the contractor for poor performance before terminating the contract.
Mr. Seth said that the elevated section of the Pink Line will be completed by December 2023.
This means that motorists and pedestrians using the busy stretch on Bannerghatta Road will have to wait for nearly three years for some relief. For more than two-and-a-half years, during construction of piers for the metro project, congestion and traffic jams were the norm. Motorists had hoped for timely completion of the project, which seems unlikely with the cancellation of the tender.
