High-level meet asks BMRCL to revise Hebbal land proposal

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) is unlikely to get the 45 acres of land at Hebbal, crucial for constructing a multi-modal transport hub, stabling depot, and three metro stations.

At a high-powered meeting on Monday, Namma Metro officials were asked to scale down their ambitious infrastructure plans at the city’s congested junction, following pressure from private real-estate developers seeking to revive a 20-year-old commercial project.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who convened the meeting, said Namma Metro has been asked to submit a revised proposal. "Hebbal is an important place. Apart from the metro, the land is also required for the tunnel road project. We will not go back on our plans,” he told reporters.

He added that the government is committed to providing either Transferable Development Rights (TDR) or cash compensation.

Commerce and Industries Minister MB Patil was also part of the meeting, along with top government officials, including BMRCL Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao.

In March last year, the BMRCL had offered Rs 551.15 crore for the 45-acre plot — at Rs 12.10 crore per acre — to develop a critical transit node at Hebbal. The proposal included a depot, a multi-modal transport integration hub, and parking facilities. However, the BMRCL is now under pressure to revise its plans and reduce its land requirement.

All about the 45-acre land parcel

The 45-acre parcel in Hebbal is part of a 55-acre tract notified for the Lake View Tourism Corporation in May 2004. However, the private entity never compensated the original landowners over the last 20 years. The land ownership currently vests with the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), while several original owners — many of them elderly — continue to seek compensation.

During the previous BJP-led government, the BMRCL had taken possession of 6,712.97 square metres in Hebbal for a station and viaduct of the Airport Metro line, offering Rs 12.10 crore per acre in compensation. But with a new government in place, the transfer of the remaining 45 acres has been stalled.

Sources said a couple of real estate developers are now attempting to revive the 2004 agreement tied to a proposed commercial development on the Hebbal land, which includes a shopping mall.

Although the agreement had lapsed in March 2023, it was extended by another three years, despite the previous landowners not receiving compensation.