The Deccan Chronicle 06.12.2010
Road-widening to cost a bombBengaluru, Dec. 5: The BBMP will have to pay out a mammoth Rs 10,000 crore if it acquires properties for widening 216 roads. Thus to avoid the financial burden, BBMP authorities are proposing Transfer of Developmental Rights (TDR).
In a bid to do away with traffic snarls, the BBMP has decided to take up a massive road-widening project in the city and has identified 216 roads for the purpose that run into a total stretch of 450 km. However, the project has stalled thanks to cases filed by a few residents.
The civic body had identified about 37,000 properties along the roads proposed for widening. These included both vacant and built up structures, said a senior BBMP official.
About 10,500 buildings will have to be razed to make space for the wider roads while the remaining properties are vacant sites and lands. A proposal for widening the Outer Ring Road to make it a signal-free corridor is also under consideration.
Under the TDR scheme, the owner of the land would get TDR in lieu of the land needed for the road widening project, the official said.
Six roads have already been widened including the Race Course Road which was completed recently. However, widening 216 roads in the city is a big challenge.
“As issuing TDR to land losers was economically viable, the BBMP has decided to take up the project through TDR. If monetary compensation is to be given, the project would cost Rs 10,000 crore and it is impossible for BBMP to mobilize that kind of money,” said the official.
