Will use available land for Ballari road-widening: Govt to HC

The state government on Wednesday informed the Karnataka High Court that a decision has been taken on September 16 to widen Ballari Road, between Cauvery Junction and Mehkri Circle, with other viable options.

The deadlock over the widening is due to a pending plea before the apex court over the acquisition of Bangalore Palace and other surrounding open places.

A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe is hearing a PIL filed by Samarpana, a Bengaluru-based socio-cultural trust, claiming that despite directions by the high court and the apex court, no action has been initiated for widening of the road.

The state government had acquired the palace and the surrounding place in terms of the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1996. After the high court upheld the validity of the act, the legal heirs of the late Maharaja of Mysore moved a civil appeal and the apex court had directed the parties to maintain a status quo.

Subsequently, the state government had approached the apex court seeking permission to widen the road using the land, which is the subject matter of the appeal.

The apex court in an order passed on November 21, 2014, had permitted the state to widen the road after giving Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) to the appellants (legal heirs of the Maharaja).

September 16 meeting

In an affidavit filed before the high court, Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to the government, Urban Development Department, stated that the meeting chaired by the chief minister decided against offering TDR since it would amount to thousands of crores. It was discussed that once paid, it would be irrecoverable if the state were to succeed in the civil appeal.

In view of this, other viable options were discussed such as to take up immediate work with respect to the land already available with the state government. While this proposal will be taken up first, it will also be examined whether the construction of the flyover or an underpass can be taken up to ease traffic congestion.

The meeting also discussed alternative accesses to the various marriage halls and kalyana mantapas that clog traffic significantly.

The division bench pointed out that the affidavit lacked material particulars, including the extent of existing road, to be used for the widening. The bench granted three weeks’ time to submit the material particulars regarding the decision.