Bangalore, Oct 1 (IANS): Oct 20 at 11 a.m. is the new auspicious time that Karnataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda set Friday for the much-delayed Bangalore metro to start chugging.

"Union Minister Kamal Nath will flag off 'Namma Metro' (our metro) operations at 11 a.m. on Oct 20," Gowda said in a statement from New Delhi.

Gowda and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation officials had announced several times last month that the metro will start chugging in mid-September.

The chief minister was keen that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had laid the foundation for the project in June 2006, inaugurate the 'Namma Metro' operations.

He had twice invited him and told the media that the prime minister had agreed and dates would be fixed in consultation with his office.

The service, scheduled from Oct 20, will connect M.G. Road in city centre to Baiyappanahalli in the eastern suburb covering 6.7 km on elevated tracks with four stations in between.