Bengaluru: BMRCL In A Fix As Group-In-Charge Of K R Pura-Silk Board Metro Line Cites Financial Trouble, Project Delayed

Anyone who lives in Bengaluru is likely to bring up the topic of traffic jams at Silk Board Junction on the Outer Ring Road (ORR). The metro line on the route is now delayed by four months owing to financial issues plaguing the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), leading to the contract to be again up for a tender.

The group was the lowest bidder in the first of three tender packages for the K R Pura-Silk Board Phase 2A elevated metro line at a cost of Rs 4,202 crore. The length of the line is 19.45 km.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director Ajay Seth has been quoted by The New Indian Express as saying, “We are in a dilemma now. IL&FS is the lowest bidder and had quoted just 1.7 per cent above our estimate of Rs 427 crore. The other bidders had quoted nearly 9 per cent above our estimate. However, we are now having serious issues over their financial status and if they can complete the line for us.”

The reason cited for not awarding the contract to the second lowest bidder is because it will ‘undermine transparency of the entire process’. If the bids for package II is open, the IL&FS is again the lowest bidder which has quoted Rs 416.66 crore for the work between Bellandur to Doddanakundi station, which is a line of 6.4 km.