Latest news with #K-RIDE
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Karnataka govt. appoints concurrent MD FOR K-RIDE amid ongoing full time appointment process
Even as the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) is in the process to appoint a full-time Managing Director (MD), the State government has placed IAS officer Govinda Reddy in concurrent charge of the post. Mr. Reddy, a 2013-batch officer currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Infrastructure Development, Ports and Inland Water Transport Department, replaces N. Manjula, who previously held additional charge of K-RIDE. K-RIDE is the agency implementing the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), a joint venture between the Karnataka government and the Ministry of Railways. While the State holds a 51% stake, the Railways has often advocated for appointing a technocrat to the post, citing the engineering-heavy nature of the project. In June, K-RIDE had issued a vacancy notice calling for applications from officers of Central Group 'A' services for a three-year deputation. According to sources familiar with the matter, the recruitment process for a full-time MD is still underway and soon the K-RIDE was about to appoint a MD. When contacted for a response, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development M.B. Patil was unavailable. However, a senior official in the State government clarified, 'The selection process, as per the June vacancy notification, is ongoing. The appointment of Mr. Reddy will not hamper the process of appointing a full-time MD.'
The Print
6 days ago
- Business
- The Print
L&T exit aside, Bengaluru's suburban rail dream faces another big hurdle—shinier big-ticket projects
L&T approached the court, claiming that only 2.1 km of the workfront, or 8.28 percent of the total length under the project it was contracted to execute, was made available to it. It added that the representations by K-RIDE, government body responsible for executing the project, were 'false, made with sole intention of inducing and deceiving' the company. The Mumbai-based infrastructure major exited the project last week, citing delays in being handed over land for the big-ticket project. L&T terminated its contract to build one of the stretches, and demanded Rs 505 crore. Bengaluru: The acrimonious exit of Larsen & Toubro from Bengaluru's suburban rail project has threatened to delay one of the city's most ambitious mass mobility programmes, yet again. The move has now sparked a blame game between the company and K-RIDE. According to a person aware of the developments, L&T's claim that it did not get the land is not completely accurate. 'There are multiple factors, including if un-encroached land was handed to L&T by the railways, and why the pace of private land acquisition has been so slow,' the person told ThePrint, requesting anonymity. K-RIDE, or Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka), is a joint venture of the state government and Ministry of Railways, and is tasked with creating and developing 148.17 km of rail route under the Rs 15,767 crore suburban rail project, aimed at decongesting Bengaluru in the long run. The lack of sustainable public transportation has forced Bengaluru's nearly 14 million residents to rely more on private transport, congesting the city further. On last count, Bengaluru had a total of over 1.23 crore vehicles plying its roads, with 7.22 lakh new vehicles added in 2024-25. Coupled with inadequate and crumbling infrastructure, the city has become synonymous with congestion, as well as a template for 'urban ruin'. But the execution challenges aren't the only factor impeding the progress of the rail project. Policy makers in Bengaluru have kept their energies and resources more focused on big-ticket projects, like the metro and the proposed tunnel road, while others like suburban rail, and even bus fleets, remain stagnant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the city to inaugurate the Yellow line of the Metro on 10 August. But the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) that he announced with much pomp in June 2022—with a deadline of just 40 months—has failed to take off. Also Read: High-level policy change causes ripples in Railways, pushback from business houses & within 'Metro given precedence' As soon as the rail project was announced, several legislators and parliamentarians had rushed to claim credit. Things moved swiftly, at least in terms of its marketing. The project was named 'Samparka', a combination of the first letters of the names of its four stretches, each named after a flower—Sampige (41.4 km), Mallige (25.01 km), Parijaata (35.52 km) and Kanaka (46.24 km). However, the focus has since pivoted to the metro project. According to a person directly involved in BSRP, the railways-based transportation project is being overlooked for the metro. 'It's like the younger brother is being born before the older brother,' the person remarked, saying how the metro has taken precedence over a cheaper, more sustainable option. The person also emphasised how other cities, like Mumbai, have focused on the more sustainable option of suburban railways. Rajkumar Dugar, founder of Citizens For Citizens (C4C), told ThePrint, 'The maximum interest being shown by the state government today in any infrastructure project, trying to literally bulldoze its way, is the tunnel road. The second interest is for the metro. Nobody shows interest in suburban rail. The clue is that on paper, the tunnel road costs Rs 1,100 crore per km, the metro about Rs 500 crore on average, and the suburban rail is Rs 100 crore per km.' The BSRP was sanctioned back in October 2020, with a deadline of three years for the completion of the route from Majestic (Bengaluru's main bus & train terminal) to the international airport, and further to Devanahalli. At the time, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation had written to the Karnataka government, asking that K-RIDE focus on other stretches as the metro line must be prioritised. The Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT), in its response to the state government, had said that BSRP should get priority. 'There is a sanction letter from the Union government and DULT. Both say that BSRP corridor-1 should be prioritised. BMRCL had its way, but not a single brick has been laid on that corridor yet after five years. Things are happening completely against the interests of the city,' Dugar said. Even though all Bengaluru-related projects come under the district in-charge minister, the BSRP has not attracted the attention of its peer projects, like Metro or the tunnel road. The main reason is that the BSRP is being overseen by the infrastructure development ministry of Karnataka, and not under the city in-charge minister, The deputy chief minister has been pushing for vanity projects, like the tunnel road, sky deck, and other big-ticket projects, while BSRP is under M.B. Patil, the industries and infrastructure minister. Blame game The South Western Railways (SWR) told ThePrint that all four corridors of the suburban rail project require 326.81 acres of land. An SWR spokesperson said that on many stretches of land that have been handed over, the encroachments have been identified, and almost all of them cleared. The spokesperson dismissed allegations that the authority handed over land with encroachments to L&T. The authority told ThePrint that for Corridor-2, K-RIDE demanded 85.707 acre-land, which was handed over in December 2022. 'Out of 25.01 km, 22.482 km (almost 90 percent) of the land is completely free of encroachments. In balance 2.58 km length, 344 encroachments are identified, of which 78 are removed, and others are also in the process of removal. BSRP work is in progress in this stretch,' the SWR spokesperson said. In another stretch, K-RIDE demanded 115.472 acres, which was handed over in April 2024. 'In 46.24 km stretch, only 20 encroachments are identified. Eviction proceedings are already in an advanced stage,' the spokesperson added. The land requirement has not yet been finalised for the other two stretches, SWR further said. L&T had entered into two agreements with K-RIDE, which were scheduled to be completed in 27 months, according to the agency responsible for implementing the suburban rail network. These included extensions and other agreements. L&T was contracted to execute about 84 percent of the total corridor length, but K-RIDE said in a statement Saturday that their work was not commensurate so far, which it said 'exposes L&T's failures' in carrying out the work. 'The progress of work as compared to work front availability was not satisfactory due to L&T's failure in mobilisation of adequate resources, and delay in finalisation of designs,' K-RIDE's statement read. It added that multiple letters and reminders had been issued highlighting the company's 'failures' on various fronts, with the direction to remedy them to complete the work at the earliest. The agency also said that the termination of the contract was 'illegal'. ThePrint attempted to reach L&T via email for a comment, but no response was received. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Trash piles up across Chennai areas as sanitation workers protest privatisation move
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
K-RIDE to finally get full-time MD after gap of nearly three years
: After nearly three years of functioning under in-charge officials, the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) is set to appoint a full-time Managing Director (MD) soon. Indian Railways is in the final stages of selecting a candidate to lead the organisation, which is responsible for executing the long-delayed Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP). The position of full-time MD at K-RIDE has remained vacant since 2021. Since then, various IAS officers have been handling the post as an additional responsibility. In June this year, K-RIDE issued a vacancy notice inviting applications from officers of the Central Group 'A' services for a three-year deputation term. Sources told The Hindu that a technically qualified professional is likely to be appointed shortly. 'Constructing suburban railway lines adjacent to live railway tracks where high-speed trains operate is not an easy task. It requires domain knowledge and hands-on engineering expertise. A technocrat with a lot of experience will be better equipped to address these challenges and accelerate project implementation,' a senior K-RIDE official said. K-RIDE is a joint venture between the Government of Karnataka and the Ministry of Railways. Karnataka, which holds a 51% stake, has consistently favoured posting senior IAS officers from the State cadre to the top position. Since Amit Garg's transfer in August 2022, the organisation has not had a regular MD. Senior bureaucrats Gaurav Gupta and N. Manjula have served as interim MDs, with Ms. Manjula currently continuing in the role while also serving as Secretary to the Infrastructure Development, Ports and Inland Water Transport Departments. The BSRP spans 149.35 km and includes four corridors: Sampige (KSR Bengaluru–Devanahalli, 41.4 km), Mallige (Benniganahalli–Chikkabanavara, 25.01 km), Parijaata (Kengeri–Whitefield, 35.52 km), and Kanaka (Heelalige–Rajanukunte, 46.24 km). Of these, only Corridor-2 (Mallige) has witnessed some progress in construction, with less than 30% completion. The appointment of a new MD comes at a crucial time when two contracts pertaining to Corridor-2 and Corridor-4 were recently terminated by Larsen & Toubro (L&T), one of the key contractors involved in the project. K-RIDE officials have stated that this termination violates the terms and conditions of the agreement, further complicating an already delayed and technically challenging project.
News18
05-08-2025
- Business
- News18
Govinda Reddy appointed MD of K-RIDE
Bengaluru, Aug 5 (PTI) The Karnataka government has appointed IAS officer Govinda Reddy as the managing director of K-RIDE. An official order issued on Monday stated that Reddy, a 2013-batch IAS officer currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Infrastructure Development, Ports and Inland Water Transport Department, will hold concurrent charge as K-RIDE MD. He replaces Manjula N. The post of MD, Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited, has been declared equivalent in status and responsibilities to the cadre post of Director of Municipal Administration, the order said. The appointment comes at a time when K-RIDE's flagship Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) has hit a roadblock. On July 31, contractor Larsen & Toubro terminated its contracts for Corridor-2 (Chikkabanavara to Benniganahalli) and Corridor-4 (Heelalige to Rajankunte), citing 'delays in land acquisition". view comments First Published: August 05, 2025, 19:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Deccan Herald
03-08-2025
- Business
- Deccan Herald
K-RIDE calls out L&T for violating agreement
K-RIDE has alleged that L&T has made unreasonable demands, such as revising contract prices and converting the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract into an itemised Bill of Quantities(BOQ) contract.
