Date:20/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/20/stories/2007102060260300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Proposal for Metro rail depot at Old Madras Road hits a roadblock

Special Correspondent

Supreme Court directs High Court to maintain status quo on NGEF land

The land belonging to NGEF has come up for liquidation
BMRCL has 30 acres of land in its possession

BANGALORE: Even as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) set the deadline for 2011 for completion of the project, the legal hurdles it is facing appear to slow it down.

The BMRCL had planned to construct a depot and a station at Old Madras Road, but the plan has hit a roadblock following a Supreme Court directive to the Karnataka High Court to maintain status quo in the matter as the land in question had come up for liquidation.

The land had belongs to NGEF (New Government Electrical Factory), which is now defunct. The BMRCL will now have to either make alternative arrangement for its land requirement or wait till a decision is made on the land belonging to the NGEF by the court.

‘No delay’

Speaking to The Hindu, BMRCL Managing Director V. Madhu said that the project would not be delayed owing to this “minor” hitch, nor would the BMRCL shelve the construction of the depot, workshop and a station at Old Madras Road. He said the BMRCL had 30 acres of land in its possession, which was sufficient for the work to start on all these structures. It would explore other options to get the additional land, he said.

The BMRCL had requisitioned for a total of 60 acres of land for the construction of proposed station and depot at Old Madras Road with the government. It had in its possession 30 acres that was acquired from the adjacent land belonging to the Nuclear Power Corporation. The 30 acres of land it wanted from the NGEF had now been put on hold. Sources in the government legal cell said that the government had approved the release of the 30 acres of land to the BMRCL but the Supreme Court had directed the High Court to maintain status quo.

Appeal

A private firm that wanted to participate in the auction of the land had appealed to the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the government liquidator setting aside the decision of auctioning of the land. The auction of the land belonging to the NGEF was a part of the liquidation process. But the liquidator appointed by the High Court had set aside the auction on the request of the BMRCL.

Mr. Madhu said if at all there was some delay, it would not be more than four weeks and that delay will be made up once the structural work would be completed.