SALAR NEWS

Congress & BJP fight for credit over Bengaluru's Yellow Metro Line

DK Shivakumar alleged that Centre spent only 20 per cent and wrote a letter to PM Modi seeking Rs 1.5L Cr funds for Bengaluru.

PTI

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Bengaluru Metro Yellow Line was flagged off on Sunday. Photo: PTI

Bengaluru, 10 Aug

The Congress and BJP engaged in a war of words on Sunday, both attempting to claim credit for Namma Metro’s Yellow-Line flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Bengaluru.

While Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the State has been spending more than the Centre on City’s Metro network, "even though the project is meant to be jointly funded", as he and PM Modi shared the stage at the foundation-laying ceremony for Phase-3, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the railway budget for State has risen from Rs 835 crore before 2014 to Rs 7,500 crore after BJP came to power in the Centre.

Speaking at the event, also attended by Union Ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah said the metro is to be funded equally by the Centre and the state as per the agreement, but "the State is spending more on this project."

Acknowledging the Centre’s technical and financial assistance, he noted that much of it comes in the form of loans and equity, which the state must repay with interest. "So far, Rs 3,987 crore has been refunded," he said.

According to Karnataka CM, 96.10km of Metro lines have been completed, with the State spending Rs 25,387 crore and the Centre Rs 7,468.86 crore. Siddaramaiah urged the Modi to extend Karnataka the same priority given to Maharashtra and Gujarat.

However, Vaishnaw said, "Such an important state like Karnataka was only getting a meagre Rs 835 crore before 2014. Thanks to Modi, it is now getting Rs 7,500 crore. Also, projects worth Rs 54,000 crore are underway in Karnataka. We are redeveloping 61 stations in the state under the Amrit Bharat scheme."

Meanwhile, Dy CM DK Shivakumar said that the State's contribution 80 per cent of the funds to Namma Metro while the Centre contributed only 20 per cent.

Speaking to press at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said, “The Centre was supposed to bear 50 per cent of the land acquisition cost for the Metro but it hasn't.”

Shivakumar also wrote a letter to Modi appealing for Rs 1.5 lakh crore funds for City.

According to Shivakumar, the construction of urban tunnels, the Bengaluru Business Corridor, integrated solid waste management plants, elevated roads along metro lines, flyovers, additional drinking water projects, new roads over storm water drains, and the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) will require an estimated investment of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

The letter also included a detailed note on the projects that require funding.

"Ahmedabad is given 20 per cent of the tax devolution while Bengaluru gets only 10 per cent. Bengaluru needs to be treated on par with other large cities in the country like Delhi," he said.

Shivakumar hit back at the BJP claiming that Modi’s contribution influenced the completion of the Yellow-Line. "There is no contribution. All this started during SM Krishna and Vajapayee's time. Let them release the data on their contribution, I will release the numbers too."

"BJP claims it has done everything. No BJP MP has even got Rs 10 as funds for Bengaluru. They should be ashamed of themselves," he said. "Some BJP MPs think that tweeting and media coverage amounts to achievement," he said.

Priyank Kharge accuses BJP of 'hijacking' credit

Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday criticised BJP for "hijacking" the credit for Yellow Line Phase 2, stating that State Government shouldered the bulk of the expenses, contributing over Rs 12,000 crore.

Kharge said on X, "The Metro project was launched under the UPA Government led by Manmohan Singh. In the first phase, the UPA Government bore a significant portion of the cost, outpacing the State Government's contribution," he wrote.

According to him, after BJP came to power, their commitment to the project dwindled, with the Central Government's share decreasing drastically in subsequent phases.

"The Karnataka Government has shouldered the bulk of the expenses, contributing over Rs 12,000 crore, covering land acquisition costs and additional expenses," he added.

The Central Government only provided Rs 8,000 crore for the project, he pointed out. This lack of support forced BMRCL to take loans to cover the remaining project costs. While Karnataka's contributions to the Centre continue to grow year after year, the returns to the state diminish, and the Yellow Line project is a glaring example of this," said Kharge.

On the other hand, speaking to PTI Videos, Tejasvi Surya, MP of Bengaluru South, insisted that the “", stating that between the Yellow Line and the proposed Orange Line that the PM is laying the foundation stone for on Sunday, 18 lakh commuters will benefit.