E-Paper
B’luru Metro to begin charging of power lines
Bengaluru The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Tuesday said it will begin the charging the power lines on the Nayandahalli-Kengeri stretch as it moves closer to the June 2021 deadline for the completion of the project
Bengaluru
The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Tuesday said it will begin the charging the power lines on the Nayandahalli-Kengeri stretch as it moves closer to the June 2021 deadline for the completion of the project.
“The power system is being charged. First we will test this system and then the trials will go on,” an official from BMRCL said requesting anonymity. The power lines on the stretch run along the tracks.
The 7.5-km long stretch connecting Nayandahalli station on Mysuru Road and Kengeri on the outskirts of India’s IT capital is crucial for reducing the traffic density on the stretch – one of the busiest roads leading to Bengaluru.
While most of the construction work on the stretch has been completed, the initiation of charging of power lines has raised hopes that the project, which has seen several delays, will be completed by the June 2021 deadline.
“As of today, June 2021 is the target and we are trying to achieve the same,” the official cited above said.
The BMRCL has managed to operationalise just under 50 kms in the past 13 years, with at least 128 kms under various stages of construction. The Metro project was envisioned to help decongest Bengaluru, adjudged to have the world’s worst traffic globally in 2019.
According to government data, the city has a population of over 10 million with 9.4 million vehicles, which also raises concerns about pollution, increasing traffic snarls and crumbling infrastructure.
According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2020, released on Tuesday, Bengaluru witnessed an average 15.6% dip in PM2.5 levels in which period.
“However, the pollutant levels were above the WHO prescribed limit in 46.7% of the days. None of the Indian cities met the prescribed annual limit of 10 µg/m3. The IT city’s annual average stands at 27.5 µg/m3, nearly three times the prescribed limit. Also, Bengaluru’s PM 2.5 levels in December 2020 surpassed the January 2020 levels, indicating that the ‘better air quality’ has already faded away,” the report said.
The residents in the city, touted as India’s fastest growing urban centres, have reported a deteriorating quality of life due to rising air and water pollution caused by vehicle emissions, dependence on coal-based energy, construction, industrial discharges and waste and stubble burning.
Spread over 824 sq kms, Bengaluru has seen a rise in problems with barely any long-term solutions as civic and other agencies work independently of each other, exposing the lack of coordination required to find holistic solutions, urban experts said.
BMRCL said it has managed to take 141,000 vehicles off the road so far in which period?.
The Union government in the budget this year decided to extend funds worth ₹14,788 crore to construct 58.19 km of metro rail in Bengaluru city.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget said that Central funding will be provided to Phase 2A and 2B of the Bengaluru metro rail.
Phase 2A is the 18.23 km long elevated line that proposes to connect KR Puram and the Central Silk Board along the outer ring road (ORR) which is one of the busiest and most congested stretches in Bengaluru. The route also houses a significant number of technology and other corporations along the ORR which witnesses some of the worst traffic jams in Bengaluru. Phase 2B connects KR Puram to Bengaluru airport, extending about 37 km.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in December last year approved a $500 million (about ₹3,685 crore) loan for Phase 2A and 2B.
The Union government also said that the 278 km Bengaluru–Chennai Expressway work will be initiated in the current fiscal and construction will begin in 2021-22.
