Karnataka approves Bengaluru suburban rail, minority welfare plan, key infrastructure projects

Karnataka approves Bengaluru suburban rail, minority welfare plan, key infrastructure projects

Bengaluru, The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday cleared infrastructure, welfare and administrative proposals, including support for high-speed rail corridors, a ₹18,133-crore suburban project around Bengaluru, and a ₹600-crore minority colonies development plan.

Karnataka approves Bengaluru suburban rail, minority welfare plan, key infrastructure projects

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the Cabinet discussed the Hyderabad–Bengaluru High-Speed Rail Corridor and decided to extend administrative and legislative support.

"The Hyderabad–Bengaluru High-Speed Rail will be implemented by the Government of India. We are only providing support," he said.

He added that proposed stations at Alipur, Devanahalli and Kodihalli would strengthen connectivity in Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts, while the Devanahalli station would improve airport access and enable multimodal integration.

The 607-km corridor will have about 101.03 km within Karnataka.

The Cabinet also approved support for the Chennai–Bengaluru High-Speed Rail project. It granted in-principle approval for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Suburban Project at Bidadi, estimated at around ₹18,133 crore.

The project will cover about 7,481 acres across nine villages in Bengaluru South district and Ramanagara taluk.

Addressing concerns over land acquisition, Patil said discussions with stakeholders are ongoing. "Compensation will be provided either in cash or in developed sites as per rules," he said.

The Cabinet approved a ₹600 crore action plan for 2026–27 and 2027–28 for the development of minority colonies in the state.

Responding to criticism of "appeasement" following concerns raised over minority representation in the recently-held Davanagere South Assembly bypolls, Patil said the scheme was not politically motivated but part of a structured development initiative.

In a major industrial decision, the Cabinet cleared the allotment of 140 acres in Bengaluru Signature Business Park to Applied Materials Inc, California, for a ₹780 crore project, subject to statutory approvals.

It approved ₹558.95 crore for implementing the Universal Newborn Screening Scheme to detect rare congenital disorders.

The Cabinet approved viability gap funding of ₹28.47 crore to Star Air for air connectivity between Bidar, Bengaluru and Kalaburagi, with 80 per cent funding from the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board and the remaining 20 per cent from the Infrastructure Development Department.

Public works approvals included road resurfacing projects in Kalaburagi district under the CM's Infrastructure Development Programme, with administrative sanction for works worth ₹28.97 crore and an additional ₹12 crore.

It cleared an additional ₹20 crore for the construction of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Belagavi, revising the total project cost to about ₹70–75 crore.

Further decisions included handing over management of Karnataka Bhavans in Tirumala/Tirupati to the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation and approval for a ₹227.91 crore soap and detergent manufacturing unit by Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited in Vijayapura.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.