NHAI, PWD to build Satellite Town Ring Road for B'lore

The long-delayed Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) project to connect Bangalore’s satellite towns - Ramanagar, Dobbespet, Devanahalli, Hoskote, Attibele and Magadi will be implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the State Public Works Department (PWD).

While NHAI will develop the stretch between Dobbespet and Hoskote via Devanahalli, the PWD will construct the stretch between Attibele and Magadi Road under the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project-II (KSHIP-II), PWD Minister C M Udasi told the Legislative Council on Tuesday, replying to a question by R V Venkatesh.

The project was first approved in 2006 and the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) was to implement it. The land acquisition cost, which was estimated to be Rs 741 crore in 2007, has now shot up to Rs 2,872 crore.

The road construction was estimated to cost Rs 3,800 crore in 2007. The project is expected to trigger development of satellite towns and ease the pressure on Bangalore.

The State government has to bear the cost of land acquisition if the NHAI and the PWD take up the project, the minister stated.

The government had issued preliminary notification for land acquisition under the project in 2007.

Many ring roads

The BMRDA has plans to develop about 734 km of ring roads around Bangalore. They are: STRR, Intermediate Ring Road (IRR) and Radial Roads. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has plans to develop a Peripheral Ring Road (PRR).

IRR is proposed to have a length of 188 km, circumventing Bangalore beyond the proposed BDA Peripheral Road (110 km), connecting Tattekere, Harohalli, Bidadi, Thippagondanahalli, Nelamangala, Devanahalli, Nallur, Hoskote and Sarjapur.

Radial Roads are proposed to be of 262 km length and they will connect the existing Outer Ring Road and the proposed Peripheral Road of the BDA as well as the Intermediate Ring Road proposed by the BMRDA and Satellite Town Ring Road. However, none of these projects has taken off due to land acquisition problems.

23 new NHs

Udasi said the PWD has proposed to the Union Surface Transport Ministry to upgrade 23 state highways.