BANGALORE: The State Cabinet on Tuesday gave its administrative approval for a budget of Rs 27,000 crore for Phase II of Namma Metro project. A distance of 72 km has been cleared and the date for completion is set at 2017. Earlier, the the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had estimated the cost at Rs 25,000 crore. Later, it had submitted a detailed project report to the State government based on which Tuesday’s decision was taken.“We have done our due diligence and are satisfied with the amount, preliminary work will start right away,” said N Sivasailam, Managing Director, BMRCL. He stated that BMRCL would also look at other sources of funding as well.“The globe is the limit, we will definitely look for more funding,” he said.Sivasailam expects a timeframe of six months to get approval from the Centre and stated that preliminary work like design construction and call for tenders would begin soon.BMRCL had received funding for phase I for an estimated cost of Rs 11,609 crore from various sources like the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This time around the Japan International Cooperation Agency will be funding Phase II.The Phase II is expected to remove 35% of the commuters from the roads of the city according to Metro officials and there was no general consensus as earlier estimates by BMRCL officials had put the completion time between four to eight years.The Phase II is an extension of all four reaches of the Metro. Reach 1 from Baiyyappanahalli to Cricket Stadium, Reach 2 from Leprosy Hospital to Mysore Road, Reach 3, 3a and 3b from Sampige Road to Nagasandra and Reach 4 and 4a from National College to Puttenahalli, along with two independent lines from Jayanagar to Electronic city and Nagavara to IIM-B which is going to be an underground route.Sivasailam reserved comment on changes recommended by the Cabinet in the detailed project report and stated that BMRCL would make a formal statement only after the Cabinet announces the approval.He, however, stated that the Cabinet had recommended some minor changes to the project and that BMRCL would move forward with the experience it had gained in Phase I.
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