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Will Peripheral Ring Road be a reality?

Will the Bangalore Development Authority take it up again and, this time, more seriously?

July 6

Bengaluru


Have you ever heard of an infrastructure project that was neither implemented nor scrapped even after 27 years since it was first proposed? If you live in Bengaluru, you might have. It’s the Bengaluru Peripheral Ring Road project that we’re talking about.


Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar – who is also the minister for Bengaluru Development, recently convened a meeting of senior BDA officials to discuss the status of the Peripheral Ring Road project.




The Peripheral Ring Road or PRR project was first proposed in the Comprehensive Development Plan for Bengaluru in 1995. Its original length was supposed to be 80 km. Later, it was taken up only in 2006 as as an 8-lane ring road that will connect Tumkur Road, Hesarghatta road, Bellary Road, Old Madras Road, Sarjapur Road and Hosur Road. The 74-km long PRR will form a ring around the city along with the existing NICE ring road. The total length of this road will be 116 km.


In 2006, the BDA had notified 1,810 acres of land to be acquired for the project. But now, the land requirement has risen to around 2,500 acres. Land acquisition has been the biggest hurdle for starting the PRR. It has also become a huge inconvenience for land owners. Many who own plots situated on the proposed stretch are in a fix as their land has been notified, but construction has not started. They say that they can neither construct on the said land, nor sell it to anyone as it is notified.

The alignment of PRR also includes agricultural land. Many farmers are unwilling to accept the BDA’s terms of compensation for their land. They have been demanding that compensation must be given according to the Land Acquisition Act of 2013. But the BDA is offering them compensation as per the BDA Act and at rates corresponding to the date of notification. It’s common knowledge that the rates have shot up by now and it makes no sense to use the date of notification as the reference.


Last year, the Supreme Court of India ruled that provisions of 2013 Land Acquisition act will not be applicable to acquisitions by the BDA. There is a huge difference between the amounts fixed under the BDA act and the 2013 land acquisition act. In some cases the amount is up to 5 times more when calculated according to the 2013 act. As a result, many farmers want the government to drop the project as the compensation terms would be unfair.


Another important aspect is the threat to the environment. The BDA has not done a good job of handling this part of the project. Initially, it submitted that only 200 trees needed to be cut down for the project, but the State Forest Department estimated that over 16,000 trees will have to be cut. The National Green Tribunal rejected BDA’s assessment and ordered a fresh survey. Finally, it was estimated that over 33,000 trees needed to be felled for the PRR. In addition to trees, several water bodies and catchment areas will also be affected. Finally, the BDA obtained the environmental clearance for PRR in March this year.


In spite of roadblocks, delay, environmental impact, changing alignment and increasing costs, the project is being seen as an absolute necessity to ease traffic. The BDA has also made it clear that there is has no intention to drop the project. Will the state government be able to afford the PRR – which is now estimated to cost over 20,000 crores? We hope to get an answer to this question after the announcement of the new government’s budget on July 7.


But the most important question is whether the BDA will be able to execute this mammoth project in an effective and efficient manner? Will we see deadlines being pushed and ultimately get a road whose quality has been compromised?


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