Land acquisition hurdles derail Padmanabhanagar flyover project

The ongoing construction of a flyover at the Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle in Padmanabhanagar has hit a roadblock which may delay the project by at least a year.

The Rs 36-crore project was started in December 2013 and was supposed to finish by April-end. Delay in land acquisition has stalled the work.

The BBMP, which is executing the project, had identified eight properties for acquisition. This includes a sand lorry stand, Bescom office, Fire Brigade, a Dhobi ghat and a college. The Palike easily got seven properties, but not the sand lorry stand.

“It has become a big challenge,” says a BBMP official. BBMP engineer Purushottam said, “We needed to acquire 1,744 sq metres of land. We succeeded in getting 344 sq metres. The challenge now is to get 1,300 sq metres which is under the control of sand lorry owners.”

Purushottam said the land in survey number 30 of Karisandra was acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) decades ago. There was some dispute among the family members who owned the land.

After acquiring the land, the BDA deposited the money in the bank for the owners, but due to the dispute, no one claimed it.

As the BBMP moved ahead with the project, the erstwhile owners of the property moved the National Human Rights Commission against the acquisition and got a stay.
Caught in a fix, the BBMP officials want the BDA to get the stay vacated so that the work can be completed. BBMP has written to BDA commissioner T Sham Bhatt to process the matter at the earliest.

“This flyover is necessary for a signal-free corridor from Nayandahalli to Bannerghatta Road. It will pave the way for a smooth journey up to Tumakuru Road near Yeshwantpur,” Purushottam said.

Shifting the blame
When contacted, Bhatt said the BBMP officials were trying to pass the buck. “If the land is in BDA’s hold, there is no hindrance in going ahead with the project,” said Bhatt, adding that he would clear the file if it is with him. “However, I have not come across any such file from the BBMP on my table,” Bhatt said.