Railways to lease out Bengaluru’s Yeshwantpur colony land for residential project

Bengaluru: In a bid to generate additional revenue, Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is set to lease out 34,517 sqm of railway land within Yeshwantpur railway colony.According to RLDA's request for proposal, the land will be leased for 99 years for residential development by building apartments. The same developer will redevelop the railway colony, which belongs to the Bengaluru division of South Western Railway (SWR) and has 316 quarters for employees.
With the project costing Rs 119 crore, the revenue generated from residential development will be shared between the developer and RLDA."Both will be there (railway quarters and private apartments). There are 316 quarters, and the private ones will be available for sale. The redeveloped quarters will only be used by our staff," a senior RLDA official told TOI.Parties interested in the project have been given a March 18 deadline to submit e-bids.Though seen as a revenue-generation method, experts argue that the land available in Yeshwantpur should be used for development of rail-related projects. "Instead of leasing land for commercial purposes, there are other ways in which it can be used. More infrastructure could be constructed like loco sheds or extra loop lines to manage high traffic, which would benefit the railways," said railway expert Sanjeev Dyamanavar.169 trees at SMVT on chopping listAs part of the expansion project at Sir M Visveswaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Byappanahalli, 169 trees around its premises will be felled. According to the public notice issued by Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the trees are being removed for laying a sick line worth Rs 68 crore.Sick line is a dedicated track used for repair, maintenance and overhauling of coaches and wagons that are not under active service. The one planned at SMVT can host non-modified goods and passenger coaches.GBA claims to have uploaded details of the trees to be axed on its website, and people have been given 10 days (from Sunday) to file objections. Objections and comments can be sent by email or post to the deputy conservator of forests and tree officer, GBA.