Bangalore : The much-awaited Bangalore metro project is set to take off soon, setting at rest a controversy over its viability raked up by Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) chief H.D. Deve Gowda last year.

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told captains of the industry here Friday that work on the ambitious project will start within weeks of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) giving its final nod later this month.

"The group of ministers (GoM) headed by union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has cleared the Rs.63-billion Bangalore metro rail project in Delhi Thursday. I will finalise the project in consultation with the union urban development ministry, railway ministry and other ministries during my trip to Delhi Saturday," Kumaraswamy said.

Addressing about 300 members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on 'Public private partnerships in infrastructure development', he said that monorail could also be considered at a later stage to complement the metro rail for providing an integrated and efficient transport system in the fastest growing city.

"The GoM has endorsed the state government's proposal to build the 32-km metro system on standard gauge (1.43 metres) under the Mysore Tramways Act, 1906. The safety certificate for the project will, however, be given by the commissioner of railway safety, which is under the union civil aviation ministry," the chief minister said.

The metro rail will provide alternative transport to seven million citizens of the city and ease a massive traffic congestion on its thoroughfares that are choked with about 2.5 million private vehicles and over 500,000 public vehicles, including buses and trucks.

The GoM was set up by Prime Minister Manmonhan Singh last year to look into the gauge issue and provide a legal cover to the Bangalore metro and similar projects set to come up in other cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

"The metro project will throw up a host of opportunities for private participation in areas supporting infrastructure and services," Kumaraswamy said.

The gauge issue became a bone of contention between Indian Railways and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) of the state government as the former was in favour of broad-gauge (1.67 metres) for greater synergy with its existing network instead of standard gauge.

"By opting for standard gauge, we will be saving about Rs.5.7 billion and avoiding further delays in acquiring additional land. Technically, a metro on standard gauge will be faster because of its smaller size and ability to negotiate sharp curves at ease with minimum inconvenience to passengers," BMRC managing director K.N. Srivastava told IANS here.

Of the projected Rs.63 billion, the centre and the state are expected to invest Rs.30 billion equally as equity and the balance would be raised by way of terms loans and debt from banks.

The Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) has agreed to fund the project with a soft loan of Rs.16 billion at 3.5 percent interest rate a year.

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