Karandlaje, while hailing the mega project in her Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency, said the BMRCL has written to the government in March 2024 seeking the land.
The BMRCL would pay the price as fixed by the KIADB to compensate landowners from whom the vast area has been acquired, the MoS said. The project, once commissioned, will help tens of thousands of metro users, relieving them of commuting on congested roads in Bengaluru.
The BMRCL has planned a modern multi-modal transport hub, multi-level car parking, a depot, and other infrastructure. The union government, the minister added, was keen to see Namma Metro projects met completion deadlines. Any further delay will only lead to time and cost overruns, Karandlaje said.
On BMRCLâ€s request, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and Industries Minister MB Patil held a meeting with Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and other top officials from urban development and industries departments and BMRCL officials in October to explore a solution.The ministers, however, told the BMRCL officials that the KIADB acquired the land for a private company, and the metro authorities were free to negotiate with the private company and buy the land.The KIADB acquired the land about two decades ago, from private land owners at Hebbal and Hebbal Amanikere villages of Bangalore North Taluk Hebbal for a tourism project. The private investor offered to set up a project in the area at the global investors meet (GIM) in June 2000, but it has been a non-starter even after 20 years, prompting the metro to approach the government for the sprawling area, according to official sources briefed on the subject.
The KIADB has fixed a price of Rs 12 crore per acre, but it has not yet paid the compensation to landowners, who have been demanding early payment, fed up with the yearslong delay.
The BMRCL, according to a letter it wrote to the state government in March this year, has offered to bear the land cost, which is likely to be Rs 550 crore. The proposed transportation hub will have access from Ballari Road and Outer Ring Road (ORR) side.
At Hebbal, the BMRCL is proposing the construction of three metro stations along the blue, orange, and red lines.
Officials had earlier said that Hebbal would, in future, turn into a major transport hub. There is a need for the integration of various modes of transport such as metro, suburban rail, city bus operations, and others. The land which is in possession of KIADB is ideal for building a transport hub that includes the construction of multi-level car parking. A small depot will also come up in the area which will be primarily used for the stabling of metro trains.
