Monday, June 13 2005 17:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: The ruling coalition partners in Karnataka -- the Congress and JDS (Janata Dal-Secular)-- appear headed for a 'collision' course by singing different tunes on the ambitious, Rs 6,000-crore-plus Bangalore metro rail project, which was expected to take off next month after being on the drawing board for years.

Congress MLAs elected from the city constituencies held a meeting today (Jun 13, 2005) and strongly supported the project, citing it as an ideal alternative mass transport system to decongest choked Bangalore roads that have come in for sharp criticism in recent times.

Yesterday (Jun 12, 2005), BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) legislators from the city contended that any move to scuttle the metro project would only 'regress' the city's transportation system by 20 years.

The entire debate on the project began at the weekend after former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda termed the metro as "ruinously expensive project, which would guzzle power, take enormous time to build and play havoc with the lives of citizens".

Gowda has urged the Government to seriously examine other 'superior and cheaper alternatives' like the light rail system and monorail system. He has written a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to exercise all caution on the project before coming to any conclusion on it.

Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, reacting to Gowda's view, has already said the metro project would go ahead.

The debate on the issue has come at a time when the Public Investment Board meeting is slated on June 15 in Delhi, where the project is expected to be cleared.