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Frustrations are running high at the very high revenue generating centre in Bangalore. Historically ITPL/EPIP was built with almost no connectivity options and it has remained that for years now and the days of complaining are over. It has turned to a mutiny of sorts in the recent days, where the residents have gone to the extent to propose to break away from BBMP itself..

It is in the best interest for BMRCL to start work on the eastern side expansion(ph II) from Byp to Kadugodi via ITPL immediately. It for the least will surely help them recover costs fast as ridership will surely be very high there..

However BMRCL is busy looking elsewhere and trying to go extending the western line on the Mysore road side instead. Mysore road is a comparitively low traffic region with very good road facilities either already present or getting ready (ring road multi-grade flyover). Hence it would make perfect sense to take up work on the west line expansion in the end of ph 2.

And the govt sleeps through alll this!

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" the contracts were riddled with loopholes. Aspects like earthwork at stations were not included in the contracts. When it came to implementation, the contractors backed out saying it is not part of the deal. The BMRC finally ended up coughing up extra money towards these works.

Sources point to many such incomplete tenders floated which did not clarify whether the BMRC will pay for itiner aries directly or whether cost will be borne by contractors. Eventually , the company ended up picking up the hefty tab."

more here

Hope someone..anyone can make it better now!

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http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/namma-metro-set-to-expand-to-nagasandra-how-to-make-it-usable-profitable
 

Well, I have paid my respects here to Namma Metro. 

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The much-delayed Namma Metro project requires a technocrat to steer it out of the mess it is in, Metro Man E Sreedharan said here on Tuesday.

" The first advice from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in its detailed project report to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation was to have a technocrat head it. But it was not heeded. An IAS officer will not have the commitment, dedication and accountability of a technocrat in executing the project on time. BMRC has had five IAS officers as chiefs so far. The delay in completing BMRC' s 42-km Phase I network has disappointed the entire country," said Sreedharan, who was in the vanguard of implementing the Delhi Metro, at a media interaction.

Bengaluru was the third city in the country to take up the project in 2003, after Kolkata and New Delhi. While five years is the norm to complete a Metro project, only two stretches - spanning 19.1 km - are operational till now. Phase I is likely to be completed only next year.

Delhi Metro, however, took only four years to start operations on a 10-km network. The 65-km network was functional in seven years and three months; the deadline was 10 years. Sreedharan headed DMRC for 14 years.

The second suggestion ignored by BMRC was to start underground work first. " The nature of these projects is very complex, technically. I suggested they begin with the Majestic station but they didn' t. They took up the easier, elevated sections instead," he said.

Pointing out that even Delhi Metro work was hampered during tunnelling, he said they, however, fixed the problem in 45 days. In Bengaluru, a tunnel boring machine which was stuck took nearly a year to be replaced.

According to him, the delay has escalated Bengaluru Metro cost by 60%. " They have availed costly loans. The services will suffer in future if it becomes an ailing PSU," he added.


" Two experienced technical directors left BMRC last year — BS Sudhir Chandra and DD Pahuja. Losing such men and getting new people with less experience in Metro systems affected BMRC' s growth. I am shocked why the government kept mum," he added.

Sreedharan is also upset with the decision to extend the Metro up to the Kempegowda International Airport. " Citizens would not like to travel such a long distance by the ordinary Metro. DMRC prepared a DPR for a high-speed Metro with just two to three stops and 28 minutes travel time. But the state government gave the project to BMRC, which scrapped it," he said.


Snapped ties for good

BMRC has an ego problem. It thinks it is as big as DMRC, so why should it take advice from the latter? When we said Majestic station will not be ready in time, the then BMRC MD N Sivasailam didn' t like it. He wanted to discontinue with DMRC as their prime consultant. I sensed it and withdrew our association with BMRC for good

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Only-a-technocrat-can-save-Namma-Metro-Sreedharan/articleshow/48535998.cms

I am bit surprised as why he is speaking at this time and did not  speak earlier.
Finally Sreedhanran so called METRO Man speaking the Truth and I am happy about it..
But equally surprised why Sreedharan was keeping quite til now of Mejestic Interchange work not taken up  at the start  Why he did not make noise about it.
He did noise about HSRL but not about METRO delay.
 Also interesting to note : BMRCL  will be Financially burden on State Govt as sick PSU.  I hope citizens of Bangalore realize at the earliest other wise we end paying more taxes and more cess for Petrol.
 

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