Lakshman Singh appointed as K-RIDE MD

Bengaluru: The Centre on Thursday approved the deputation of Lakshman Singh, Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE), to the post of Managing Director of Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (K-RIDE).

K-RIDE is presently undertaking the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) – the work that is going on at a snail’s pace in the absence of a technocrat to head the organisation, sources said.

“The appointment comes after several years of demand for a technocrat for the post since the job involves high technical expertise,” a source said. Currently serving as Chief General Manager (Civil) at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), Singh will assume the new role on deputation terms, retaining his parent pay plus deputation allowance.

The appointment is for a period of three years starting from the date Singh takes charge or until further orders, whichever comes first, the order said. His total deputation tenure will be calculated from his initial deputation date with BMRCL, it said.

The Railway Ministry has requested BMRCL to relieve Singh for this assignment and to inform the date of his relief. According to sources, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya pursued the matter with the Railway Board that an expert in the domain is appointed as the MD.

While laying the foundation stone for the BSRP on June 20, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the project would be completed in 40 months. The project should have been completed by the end of December, but it has not made any headway till now.

Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil had also set a deadline of December 2027.