Fair compensation assured

Amid the Karnataka High Court’s stay on the elevated corridor work, the KRDCL on Saturday said that it has tried to reduce land acquisition by proposing double-decker bridges on the north-south corridor and sought to reassure those affected by the project with fair compensation.

The promise comes at a time when various civic agencies have taken up social impact assessment surveys and are spreading awareness in the society about the project.

Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) Managing Director, B S Shivakumar, said double-decker bridges will be adopted to “avoid unnecessary cutting of trees and to minimise the cost of land acquisition.”

“One stretch will cover JC Nagar bus stand near the TV tower to the Cantonment underpass, while the second stretch will cover Cantonment Veterinary Hospital to Vital Mallya Junction via Queen’s Road and Kasturba Road. The total distance of both the stretches of the double-decker concept would be 3.2 km,” he added.

The north-south corridor from the Baptist Hospital to Central Silk Board is 26.89 km. The first phase will involve land acquisition to an extent of 17.24 acres including 7.38 acres of government land and 1.31 acres of land belonging to Bosch company, the release said.

KRDCL promised that compensation and assistance will be paid in full to those who lose land or property prior to physical or economic displacement.

“The project will also develop targeted assistance for groups/persons such as people belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, women-headed households, transgenders, households headed by differently abled persons and those aged above 60 years,” the release
clarified.

The high court has ordered the government not to push the project till June 3, when the next hearing is expected.