Bangalore: Delay in acquiring 1,810 acres land for the ambitious eight-lane peripheral ring road (PRR) project is likely to have its toll on expansion of the Silicon City in its outskirts. For, a section of landowners, who would lose land, is contemplating to challenge the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) plan in court.
The BDA had notified the 73 km PRR project in 2007. Fifteen years down the lane but the project, which promised to provide connectivity, easing out road traffic and envisaged further boom in infrastructure building and reality business, seems to be heading for a legal battle.
Sources informed that some land owners are geared up to knock the court’s door next month.
Things started brewing from April, when the BDA issued preliminary notifications to acquire 78 acres and 15 guntas for the ‘missing links’ and another 71 acres and 12 guntas for the four-clover leaf interchanges at Tumakuru Road, Ballari Road, Old Madras Road, and Hosur Road. This comes at a time when the BDA has failed to complete the acquisition process that began in 2006.
According to reliable sources, a section of landowners, who will have to part with a good chunk of land they own, have decided to challenge the BDA notification under the clause of section 27 of the BDA Act, 1976 that sets a deadline of five years to complete the project or at least the land acquisition part.
Section 27 of the BDA Act clearly stipulates that the scheme will be lapsed after five years, if the PRR is not completed and the land acquisition notification will become inoperative.
The PRR is the third ring road of Bangalore developed by BDA. The 73 km circular road will lead from Hosur Road and connect to Tumakaru Road and NICE Road to form a complete circle, covering pockets of north and east Bangalore and Anekal taluka. The stretch will start from NICE Road Junction at the Tumkur Road, pass through Bellary Road, Old Madras road and terminate on Hosur Road.
The mega project is said to be the future of Bangalore, its IT/ITeS hubs and new-age businesses. Once through, the development will provide new connectivity and give fillip to the realty landscape.
About 2,400 acres of land is likely to be acquired for the project, to be executed via public-private partnership on the Design-Build Finance Operate and Transfer model. The road developer will get a concession to collect toll for 50 years to meet the funding targets of the project and recover its costs and profits.
When completed, the PRR will have 17 toll plazas and two clover field junctions at Old Madras Road and Airport Road. Total nine entry and exit points have been identified with five flyovers, four underpasses and five Railway Overbridges (ROB).
The PRR will influence the real estate business and has the potential to become an economic corridor much like the ORR, which has seen massive real estate expansion over the years on Bangalore. Further, it will improve connectivity to Sarjapura, Varthur, Whitefield, Hoskote and the Kempegowda International Airport.
Zakir Hussein, Owner, Topend Realty said, “Both NICE Road and ORR which are facing huge traffic issues and the PPR will help bypass traffic issues and ease the pressure on roads.”
The BDA though apprehensive of the fresh initiatives of the landowners that was in circulation, is hopeful that the impediments would be cleared through dialogues.
“We are at a crucial juncture in the project implementation. We had an expression of interest from eight parties during the pre-bidding stage. Compensating landowners under the BDA Act will certainly reduce the cost. The other legal matters have to be decided by the government,” the official said.
