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News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Oh Boy! The Yellow Line Is Now A Red Hot Political Battleground
Last Updated: The battle royale between Congress and BJP began with Surya pushing for the long-delayed Yellow Line of Namma Metro when he raised the issue in Parliament — twice. Oh boy, here we go again. Bengaluru's metro — or more specifically, the Yellow Line — has become the newest arena for a not-so-subtle political wrestling match. On one side is BJP's Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, sprinting ahead with announcements, social media posts, and seeking fast-track governance in delivering citizen facilities. On the other, Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister and Congress strongman DK Shivakumar, who thinks Surya is, quite literally, 'a boy in a hurry." Now tracks, trains, and test runs are being overshadowed by barbs, blame games, and a whole lot of grandstanding. The battle royale between the Congress and the BJP began with Surya pushing for the long-delayed Yellow Line of Namma Metro. He raised the issue in Parliament — twice — calling it the 'need of the hour." Surya went ahead and declared that none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the 19.2-km metro line that connects RV Road to Bommasandra. PM Modi will land in Bengaluru on August 10 and will flag off the long-awaited Yellow line along with a net set of Vande bharat trains. 'This is a Rs 7,610 crore project. So far, only three trains have arrived. One more is expected by the 10th. It will take 10–15 more days to become fully operational. Our MP is still young, a boy, and he wanted operations to start urgently. But we can't rush things like that," he told the media. DK Shivakumar clarified that it was the Congress government which had invited the Prime Minister for the inauguration — so there was no need for credit snatching. 'The 19.5-km Yellow Line received its safety certification only on July 31. The Prime Minister has been invited to inaugurate it on August 10 by the Siddaramaiah government," he said. He confirmed, 'The Prime Minister has confirmed his participation in the inauguration of the Yellow Line. We are making necessary preparations and conducting inspections accordingly." Surya wasn't about to let that slide. He said, 'This is not the era of slow-motion politics. This is the era of fast-track governance." He posted his response to Shivakumar on X saying: 'I am in a hurry because I believe Bengaluru deserves better. Because I believe public projects must be delivered with speed, accountability, and integrity. Because I believe in politics of performance — not tokenism and photo-ops." But Shivakumar wasn't done. He doubled down, saying the delay wasn't political — it was technical. 'It's not about the wait — the issue is technical. As a matter of duty, I must ensure that we get all the inspection and clearances done. Some MPs are still a bit immature and tend to speak carelessly — I can't function like that," he said. 'This requires certification from the concerned authorities, and that process is underway. The system has already been checked. Our priority now is to make sure the train runs. We need the certification to be complete for safety. We want the metro line to be launched to alleviate Bengaluru's traffic congestion. We understand, and our government is serious in addressing this issue." But Surya took on Shivakumar's statement and sought accountability from the Congress government in Karnataka. He also did not mince words replying to being called a 'boy" and slammed what he sees as the Congress's chronic delay in delivering public infrastructure. 'Yes, I am in a hurry. Because I don't believe that public infrastructure should take decades to complete. Because I refuse to accept 8.5 years for a 2 km flyover. Because I represent a generation of Indians who want change now — not in some indefinite future. Congress Party represents the politics of delay. He comes from a party where Indira Gandhi would lay the foundation stone, and Sonia Gandhi would inaugurate it decades later. I represent a New India under Modi where our Govt starts work on the project and also inaugurates it." Surya also posted: 'I'm in a hurry because my city is choking. Because commuters waste hours stuck in traffic, where ordinary citizens — not ministers — bear the brunt of broken deadlines and bureaucratic apathy. Instead of making personal jibes about my age, let the Deputy CM list a single concrete intervention he made to expedite the Yellow Line. Where was he when the project was stuck in land acquisition? Where was he when we were fighting for a full-time BMRCL MD? Where was he when we had to coordinate across ministries and manufacturers to ensure timely delivery of rolling stock? Where was he when we pushed for visas for foreign engineers to prevent further delay? Where was he when I led a citizens' march demanding a firm and final date for inauguration? He turned up three days before the PM's visit to orchestrate a media circus — but where was he for the last five years?" Surya had earlier raised the issue of the delay in launching the Yellow Line during Zero Hour in Parliament. Calling Bengaluru India's economic engine, he said that it was one of the most important cities today — and also for India's growth in the future. 'However, the city is suffering from a big infrastructure deficit. The only way that the traffic congestion in the city can be addressed is through expedited metro construction." It is learnt that the PM's Bengaluru visit will be limited to the Yellow Line inauguration and the launch of new Vande Bharat train services. And while the leaders spar over credit, the pressure continues on the officials. A BMRCL official said: top videos View all 'Right now, we have only three trains, and more are expected. The frequency will increase and the travel time will reduce once we get another train set. Another train set is expected soon after the PM's visit," said a BMRCL official. So, a metro line that was supposed to reduce traffic is now fuelling political gridlock. And as always, it's the common man or the commuter who's left stuck in the middle — in traffic or, in this case, between political one upmanship. About the Author Rohini Swamy Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18's digital platform. She has previously worked with More tags : DK Shivakumar Namma Metro southern slice tejasvi surya yellow line view comments Location : Bengaluru, India, India First Published: August 08, 2025, 11:42 IST News opinion Southern Slice | Oh Boy! The Yellow Line Is Now A Red Hot Political Battleground Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. 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The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Upcoming Kazipet Railway Manufacturing Unit to make train sets for export
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said indigenously made 150 Vandebharat trains are slated for export with the first train set already flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. More railway rolling stock, including metro coaches, are getting export orders and the upcoming ₹521.26 crore mega Kazipet Railway Manufacturing Unit is going to play a key role once it is commissioned in 2026, he told the media at the factory site on Saturday (July 19, 2025). What will be manufactured there? The civil works will be completed by December as there is good progress in the factory construction which is being built with a flexible design to manufacture engines, coaches, wagons and metro train sets, said the Minister. Direct employment to 3,000 people Union Minister for Coal & Mines G Kishan Reddy said the railway unit will provide direct employment to about 3,000 persons and indirect jobs to many more with region expected to benefit economically with several ancillary industries likely to come up. Locals will be considered for employment with State government recommendation. Relief and rehabilitation measures for affected farmers will be done through the district collector, he said. Mr. Reddy thanked Prime Minister Modi and Mr. Vaishnaw for allocating the factory to Warangal and Telangana. It was a reflection of Centre's commitment towards development of the region and those questioning him and his party for contribution to the State should witness the unit, he said. The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the facility two years ago on July 2023. The project was entrusted to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) on turnkey basis with project execution by PowerMech-Taikishna JV. Full fledged rail manufacturing unit From initial plan to make rolling stock of different varieties, it was decided to make the facility into a full fledged Rail Manufacturing Unit which will also make 200 MEMU train (mainline electric multiple units) rakes of 16 cars each, said railway officials. Spread over 160.04 acres The manufacturing unit is coming up on a 160.04 acres of land provided by the State Government with pre-engineered shed of 60,933 A main shop floor with four bays, 13 km of internal rail network, 1 mwp shed roof solar plant, etc., will form part of the project. The MEMU rakes to be made here will be equipped with three phase propulsion system with operating speed of 130 kmph. They will be equipped with automatic door closing, non AC enclosure with roof top ventilation along with LED displays and Kavach - automatic train protection system, they added. The Ministers duo later in the evening flagged off the inaugural run of daily train between Kacheguda and Jodhpur in the presence of senior railway officials.
