BDA says no land acquired for PRR project would be monetised

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has announced that the 2,410 acres of land notified for the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project will be used for building a 65-metre-wide road, while the remaining 35 metres will be reserved to compensate land losers as commercial or mixed land use sites. 

“The fact is, in this project, the BDA is not retaining any real estate out of the current acquisitions,” L K Atheeq, Chairperson of Bengaluru Business Corridor Ltd, which has been entrusted with implementing the PRR project, wrote on X, dismissing rumours that the excess land would be monetised. 

BDA Commissioner Major Manivannan P joined the debate, stating: “As per my information, the BDA doesn’t retain any real estate in this project and is offering the entire available land to farmers as compensation.” 

Explaining the project details, the BDA said 1,810 acres of land were being acquired for the 73-km road with a 100-metre right of way (RoW). Of this, 65 metres will be used for the main carriageway, while the remaining 35 metres will be allotted as compensation sites to farmers. 

“After accounting for interchanges, entry and exit ramps, and mandatory open spaces such as parks and civic amenity sites, only about 400 acres (22%) of the 1,810 acres will remain. This land will be entirely used to compensate farmers,” it said in a statement. 

In addition, the BDA has issued a preliminary notification to acquire another 600 acres for interchanges, cloverleaf junctions and integration with NICE Road at both ends of the project. “All of this additional land will be utilised for road infrastructure,” it said. 

The BDA clarified that a total of 2,410 acres is being acquired for the PRR, of which 400 acres (16.6%) are being earmarked exclusively as compensation for farmers. “Hence, the claim that the BDA is retaining 16% of the land is incorrect,” it added. 

Some farmers, however, were not satisfied with the reply, questioning the need for creating CA sites along the road while pointing out that the BDA is not taking up a residential layout project.