Despite citizens' protests, PRR online public hearing on September 23

n online public hearing on the environmental impact assessment of the Peripheral Ring Road project will go ahead on Wednesday despite concerns about its accessibility and protests that holding a hearing without disclosing the actual alignment of the road will make the entire exercise an eyewash.

Of the four stages of clearance required by such projects, the first two stages of screening and scoping by the State Expert Appraisal Committee were completed more than 10 years ago in 2009.

Activists have noted that ongoing cases in the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court, which ruled that the BDA has falsified information on the project for years, have rendered such clearances null and void.

In addition to this is the recent change in the alignment of the 65-km road that will connect Tumakuru Road with Hosur Road with Old Madras Road. Apart from the 14,000 acres acquired, the BDA plans to buy hundreds of acres of land. Many have questioned the move to conduct a hearing without providing details of the project.

“Our stand is very clear. The draft EIA report is invalid. Considering the change in the alignment and the plan to acquire 700 acres of land, the BDA has to go for a fresh detailed project report,” Tara Krishnaswamy of the Citizens for Bengaluru said.

A public hearing is the third stage of the project following which the state-level expert committee recommends it for clearance or for rejection by the authority concerned. Activists said they are banking on pending PIL petitions for justice.