Railway land redevelopment aims to boost revenue, sparks debate over infrastructure priorities

RLDA Plans 99-Year Lease of Yeshwantpur Railway Colony Land for Housing Project.

In an effort to generate additional revenue, the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has proposed leasing out 34,517 sq m of railway land located in the Yeshwantpur railway colony in Bengaluru. As per the request for proposal, the land will be leased for 99 years for residential apartment development. The selected developer will also redevelop the existing railway colony, which falls under the Bengaluru division of South Western Railway and currently has 316 staff quarters. While private apartments built on the land will be sold in the open market, the redeveloped quarters will be reserved exclusively for railway employees. The project cost is estimated at ₹119 crore, with revenue to be shared between RLDA and the developer. Bids must be submitted by March 18. However, experts argue the land could instead be used for rail infrastructure like loop lines, or loco sheds to ease congestion. Separately, 169 trees are proposed to be felled near SMVT for a sick line project, with objections invited within 10 days.