Is Bengaluru Metro Now the 2nd Largest After Delhi?

Bengaluru, Aug 7 (NationPress) BJP Yuva Morcha National President and MP for Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, stated on Thursday that Bengaluru's Metro connectivity is poised to approach nearly 100 km, attributing this achievement to the emphasis placed on the city’s infrastructure by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration.

He remarked that Karnataka Congress leaders are now engaging in publicity tours to claim credit for this progress.

During a press briefing held at the State BJP headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, in Bengaluru, Surya noted that prior to Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister in 2014, the Metro's reach was a mere 7.5 km.

With the upcoming inauguration of the Yellow Line on August 10, the Metro's connectivity will extend to approximately 100 km.

Surya emphasized that this development positions Bengaluru's Metro as the second-largest in terms of connectivity and expansion, following Delhi.

"The inauguration of the Metro in Bengaluru should occur without delay; the Prime Minister has set the date and will be present. He is not just the Prime Minister of Karnataka or Delhi but of all India. The state government, along with the BJP and the local populace, should be ready to welcome him with enthusiasm and celebrate grandly. Preparations for his welcome are in full swing," Surya stated.

He criticized the state government, particularly Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who utilized the Bengaluru Yellow Line Metro on August 6. This project is a joint venture, yet the Congress government claims significant contributions. Surya pointed out that for the past two-and-a-half years, neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy Chief Minister showed concern for the Yellow Line Metro.

"As soon as it was announced that the Prime Minister would inaugurate the Metro line on Aug 10, the Congress began their publicity campaigns. Work on this Metro line commenced in 2018, initially slated for completion by 2021. Various issues arose due to Covid-19 and land acquisition, yet the Congress government did not step up to assist," he criticized.

Surya mentioned that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the BJP government under B.S. Yediyurappa continued civil works. "Even amidst the pandemic, we made progress, thanks to additional funds released after discussions with former CM Yediyurappa. Under former CM and current BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai, we completed 95% of the civil works. The Congress government failed to appoint a full-time Managing Director for BMRCL," he asserted.

After three months of effort, the state government finally appointed a full-time Managing Director for Bengaluru Metro last January.

“I have visited the coach manufacturing plant thrice. Due to the absence of a full-time MD, there was no oversight. Recently, the state government assigned another officer to manage the Suburban Rail, who is also responsible for another department. Currently, work on four suburban rail corridors is at a standstill,” Surya commented.

“In terms of visa issues, neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy Chief Minister have spoken or tweeted about it. They failed to engage with Union Ministers. When Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrated a cricket victory, the state government acted as if they were the ones scoring runs,” he added.

“Those who took credit for the cricket match, will they now shy away from taking credit for the Metro? People are questioning their absence during land acquisition and visa issues. The inauguration has been delayed six times — initially planned for 15 days ago and then a month ago. Recently, the seven MLAs from the Yellow Line area, two MPs, our district president, and hundreds of community members worked diligently, protested, and demanded the inauguration by August 15,” he concluded.