After 8 years, govt okays PRR project

Width of the road reduced to 75 metre; compensation plan being worked out

The State government has finally issued the an order to execute the long-pending project of constructing the 65- kilometer Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) on the outskirts of Bangalore. However, no time frame has been set for its completion, despite being delayed by nearly eight years.

The Government Order has made a few changes, including, truncating of the width of the PRR stretch from 100 meter to 75 meter.

According to sources, the 25 meter-stretch, which has been left out from the construction of the PRR, will be utilised for hi-tech zoning.

“We are going to have the option of making this hi-tech zoning, instead of a separate two- kilometer stretch which was envisaged earlier,” an official said.

Currently, as per Comprehensive Development Plan 2015, the floor area ratio in hi-tech zones is two times to 3.25 times the extent of the land on roads that are 12 metre to 30 metre wide.

Confirming the issue of the GO, T Sham Bhatt, Commissioner, Bangalore Development Authority told Deccan Herald: “We are now working out the modalities of compensating farmers and other land losers,” he said.

The meeting between the BDA top brass and the State government held 15 days ago came out with three options to compensate the farmers.

“The first option is to give them developed land, on either side of the PRR, in the ratio of 60:40 as decided under the Town Planning module. This would mean that for every acre of land, the farmer will get 9,583 sq ft of developed land. The other option would be to give them cash compensation. However, we are yet to arrive at a possible number for giving the compensation,” Bhatt said.

The deputy commissioner for the respective regions will decide upon the compensation amount, he added.

The third option which the BDA is contemplating is issuing transfer of development rights (TDR) in respect of properties acquired.

Meanwhile, the BDA will reissue pre-tender qualification notification for the project as the nine bidders who qualified for the project earlier cannot be considered on account of procedural delays.

Sources state that the request for qualification of the nine bidders has become null and void as it is over three months since it was accepted by the BDA.

The BDA commissioner however stated that it will be up to the State government on who will develop this particular stretch, as the project will be cleared at the Cabinet level due to high cost involved.