The residents of Varthur can now heave a sigh of relief. The work of expanding a key stretch of the Varthur road is set to begin next week, though widening the full length of the road — a project pending from 10 years — seems to be far away.
The road from Dommasandra Circle to Varthur Kodi near Varthur was to be widened 10 years ago. But the project is delayed due to land acquisition issue.
There are more than 10 schools across this road, which is less than 50-feet wide. The stretch gets blocked by the school buses during peak hours, causing major traffic problems to commuters.
The residents of Varthur have staged several protests and hunger strikes seeking widening of the road, but in vain. Now, a 1.4 km stretch from Varthur village to Varthur Kodi will be widened soon.
“We have issued Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) to the landowners for the widening work. The tenders have been called and Rs 34 crore has also been sanctioned. A detailed project report has been made, and the groundwork will begin soon. The stretch will be widened to 150 feet,” said a BBMP official, requesting anonymity.
He said work on two culverts in the stretch has been completed so far. A new bridge is being constructed as part of the project.
“The new bridge will be completed by March next year,” said the official said.
Land acquisition issues
The road expansion work from Dommasandra Circle to Varthur Kodi is stuck in land acquisition issues, as most of the landowners are refusing to accept TDRs as they fetch less profit.
“The residents of Varthur have encroached upon the government land to build houses and shops for the past 15 years now. I don’t know how the government can now claim that land for road widening,” said Umesh Reddy, a resident.
“The residents are ready to offer their land if they get a decent compensation amount. But what the BBMP is offering is too less, not even half of the amount in the market,” Reddy added.
“It took a year to repair the old bridge. Now I am not sure that the new bridge would be complete by March, forget the road widening work,” Reddy said.
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