Govt hands over Bengaluru Sky Deck project to BDA, doubles land allocation to 41 acres

Just as the location for Bengaluru’s proposed 250-metre Sky Deck kept shifting, so has the agency responsible for executing the Rs 500-crore project.

Citing jurisdictional reasons, the Urban Development Department (UDD), which reports to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, has transferred the project to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). The order was issued on July 23.

Initially envisioned as a major tourist attraction amid criticism over its relevance, the Sky Deck will now come up in Ramasandra village near Kommaghatta in west Bengaluru. The site, presumed final, lies outside the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits and near the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, which falls under the BDA’s jurisdiction.

The BBMP was first tasked with preparing the detailed project report (DPR) and identifying land, but struggled due to air traffic height restrictions. The project was later handed to Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), a special purpose vehicle for large-scale projects. The government has now reassigned it to BDA.

With the transfer, the UDD has also doubled the land requirement to about 41 acres. The identified land spans two survey numbers in Ramasandra and is under the custody of the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), Bengaluru Urban district administration, and Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE).

Land acquisition is expected to be challenging. The BDA has been asked to secure a no-objection certificate (NoC) from NICE for 27 acres and 19 guntas previously acquired. Another 8 acres and 12 guntas, though government-owned, are also under NICE’s custody. The remaining 5 acres in Survey Number 39 are government land.

The site currently lacks direct access, especially from the NICE Ring Road. The BDA will need to construct a new road to enable private vehicle entry.

The government has directed the BBMP and B-SMILE to hand over all technical reports, including the DPR, to the BDA to prevent duplication of work. The BDA has also been asked to fund the entire project and recover its investment through future operations.