BDA resumes land acquisition for arterial road via Kempegowda Layout

After dilly-dallying for two years, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has resumed acquiring properties to build a 10-lane arterial road that passes through the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout.

On Saturday, the BDA issued the final notification for acquiring as many as 29 properties. Around two acres of land belonging to a VIP trust is also part of the list.

The BDA’s engineering cell had left the Rs 465-crore project half done after the land acquisition department made no progress in acquiring 69 of the 321 acres needed for the completion of 10.77 km of road.

The yet-to-be-ready corridor connects Mysore Road (RR Medical College) and Magadi Road (Kadabagere Circle).

In an October 13 report titled ‘BDA slows down as road project nears VIP trust’, DH had reported about the delay in property acquisition. The matter also came up for discussion at a meeting called by the petition committee of legislators, which is now headed by Rajajinagar MLA S Suresh Kumar.

For now, the BDA has issued final notification to acquire 26 acres of land in Kengeri and Yeshwantpur hoblis (Kambipura, Challaghatta, K Krishna Sagara, Bheemanakuppe, Kommaghatta., Sulikere and Kenchanapura). It includes the acquisition of two properties of Padmasri Charitable Trust belonging to the family of Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan. In exchange of the properties, the BDA has promised to offer developed sites.

The BDA, which has nearly completed around five kilometres of work from Mysore Road, has not made much progress towards Magadi Road. Officials have reportedly informed the committee of completing the pending land acquisition process by March next year.

As per the March 2018 work order, the BDA was expected to complete the project by August 2019. In the meeting held recently, the construction firm Star Builders had blamed the delay in acquiring properties for holding up work.

Allottees of sites in the layout said the project’s completion is crucial as the Cauvery water supply line is also proposed to pass along the 10-lane road. They also appreciated the efforts of BDA Commissioner G Kumar Naik, who has been holding review meetings of various pending works of the layout in the last 15 days.