Karnataka government effects changes in BBMP posts
B-SMILE is a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) created to execute major infrastructure projects in the city.
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The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
B-SMILE all set to call tenders for North-South twin tunnels
Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), the recently formed special purpose vehicle, is all set to call global tenders for the North-South twin tunnel corridor between Hebbal and Silk Board. This follows the approval for a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model with 40% Viability Gap Funding (VGF) from the government to be adopted to build tunnel roads in the city on June 5. If everything goes according to plan, the twin tunnel roads will be open to the public by 2029-30 and the toll on these roads is estimated to cost ₹19/km and will be tolled by the companies that invest and build these roads for the next 30 years. This corridor will be 16.74 km long and is expected to cost ₹17,780 crore. The VGF for this corridor will be ₹9,303 crore. The State Cabinet has already agreed to stand as a guarantor for a loan of ₹19,000 crore towards VGF for North-South and East-West tunnel roads. B-SMILE is in talks with lending agencies including Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), a Government of India undertaking, which is also funding the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR). Work to be split into two packages With the past experience of PRR estimated to cost ₹27,000 crore not attracting any bidders in multiple global tenders, B-SMILE has decided to split the North-South twin tunnel corridor into two packages of roughly around 8.4 km each - North package from Hebbal to Race Course Road and South package from Race Course Road to Silk Board. Two companies will bid and start building these tunnels at two ends simultaneously, which will also ensure the tunnels are ready faster. The tender, likely to be called soon after the government's approval, will fix a 50 month (four years two months) deadline for the completion of the project, said B.S. Prahlad, Technical Director, B-SMILE. Toll estimated at ₹19/km A commuter will pay toll in two stages and toll collection will be completely automated through number plate recognition software, said Mr. Prahlad. 'As per current estimates, the toll will be around ₹19 per km. Since this will be collected after five years, this is not high, and factoring in inflation, it will be comparable to other tolls elsewhere at that date,' he argued. Twin Tunnels The project involves building two unconnected tunnels for each direction of traffic next to each other, each three lanes wide. This essentially means the total length of earth to be tunnelled for the North-South corridor is 33.48 km. Sources said at least eight tunnel boring machines will be deployed simultaneously to speed up work. Each machine is capable of tunnelling 2 km per year, sources said.
Deccan Herald
24-05-2025
- Deccan Herald
Karnataka government effects changes in BBMP posts
B-SMILE is a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) created to execute major infrastructure projects in the city.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Bengaluru's chief engineer moved to new agency
Bengaluru: With an aim to revamp urban infrastructure management, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) engineer-in-chief BS Prahalad has been transferred to the newly formed Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) as its director (technical). The move comes as part of the govt's decision to implement high-impact urban projects through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with an enhanced annual budget of Rs 7,000 crore. Prahalad had been entrusted with the task of improving the condition of roads and storm water drains, two areas where the BBMP had come under fire from Bengalureans, before he was put in-charge of the city's big ticket projects mooted by DCM DK Shivakumar and will be executed under B-SMILE. The transition, formalised through govt order dated May 23 also involves a reorganisation of the BBMP's engineering divisions. Prahalad's former role was dissolved, with structural works merged under the chief engineer (health and sanitation) and road development functions handed over to the chief engineer (road infrastructure). The restructured model aims to streamline operations and avoid overlapping mandates as the city gears up for a new governance framework under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act-2024.
