Deccan Herald 09.01.2014
BDA to begin work on PRR by Feb-end
With the Union Ministry of Urban Development
giving its approval to the Rs 5,800-crore peripheral ring road (PRR)
project, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) hopes to commence work on
the much-delayed infrastructure project in a month’s time.
BDA
Commissioner T Sham Bhat on Wednesday said they aim to start work by
February-end. “The project is before Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance, for approval of funding from Japanese International
Cooperation Agency (JICA). Once approved, tenders will be floated.
Also, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wants the construction work to start
by March,” he said. Once the work gets underway, it will take 36-40
months for completion. Final notification for land acquisition has been
issued and acquisition going on, he added.
According to BDA
officials, a team from JICA is likely to visit the proposed project
sites before the works start. The State Cabinet has approved the project
and agreed to link part-1 of PRR to existing the NICE corridor. The
NICE corridor which links Tumkur Road to Hosur Road via Magadi Road,
Mysore Road and Kanakapura Road; was part-2 of PRR, according to BDA’s
original plan. The 65-kilometre PRR part-1, will connect Tumkur Road
with Hosur Road via Doddaballapur Road, Bellary Road, Old Madras Road
and Sarjapur Road. The BDA needs 1,910 acres of land for construction.
Bhat pointed out that farmers were agitated as they
were not happy with the compensation schemes. Now, they should be
satisfied as they have three options to chose from. They can either opt
for developed land in the ratio of 60:40, or TDR or cash. But, monetory
compensation is yet to be finalised.
Land losers agitated
However,
PRR-1 Affected Families Welfare Association Secretary P Rajan
questioned how the BDA can commence work on the PRR when there are 37
cases pending in the High Court. In 2010, the court had quashed 1.26
acre of land which BDA had acquired for construction of toll booth, he
added. Associationpresident S Shankar said BDA has changed the alignment
many times, only to please the influentials.