On December 3, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda stopped BMRCL due to long delays in work on the Blue Line near Nagawara. | Photo credit: file photo
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has again hit out at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials and contractors over the slow pace of work on the Blue Line (Airport Corridor), saying the long delays are causing avoidable inconvenience to the public.
Mr. Gowda on Sunday made an early morning inspection of the phase 2B section from Nagawara to Bagalur Cross, covering junctions including Veerannapalya, Hebbal, Esteem Mall Junction, Allalasandra, Jakkur Airdrome, Byatarayanapura and Kodigehalli. The inspection began around 7 am and Bangalore North Corporation Commissioner Pommala Sunil Kumar, metro engineers and officials from BWSSB, Bescom and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) were present.
Noting the pace of construction, the minister questioned officials about the pillars, which remained unfinished at several places for nearly two years. “If it takes two years to build one pillar, how can you suddenly claim that the work will be completed in two months? Can you do magic?” he said, stopping the subway contractor and engineers on the spot.
He also criticized officials for blocking work at some places while progressing elsewhere and questioned why the public should suffer because of poor planning and coordination.
He also expressed concern that sidewalks and service roads are filled with construction debris, making movement difficult for both pedestrians and motorists.
He ordered the authorities to immediately remove the encroachments and dispose of the garbage from the subway to restore public access and further directed to clear the debris in front of it during the inspection.
The minister also pointed out the unnecessary road congestion caused by the metro works, saying it has resulted in daily traffic jams in several parts of north Bengaluru, and directed officials to remove avoidable roadblocks, reopen roads whenever possible and ensure smoother movement of vehicles.
Recent inspection
The inspection follows a review the minister conducted on December 3 in the Byatarayanapura Assembly constituency he represents, where he criticized the prolonged delay of the Blue Line project. Originally scheduled for completion in 2025, the airport corridor was later revised to 2026 and has now been pushed to 2027.
Mr. Gowda then warned that the slow progress of the project was causing serious hardship to commuters and urged BMRCL officials to address the bottlenecks without further delay.
Published – 14 Dec 2025 19:34 IST
