The government, which is under pressure to provide compensation to farmers in keeping with the latest rules, has estimated the cost of implementing the 73-km peripheral ring road (PRR) project at Rs 26,000 crore. The subject came up for a detailed discussion on Wednesday when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met his Cabinet colleagues and MLAs representing different Assembly segments of Bengaluru.
“Acquiring close to 2,700 acres as per the 2014 Act may cost close to Rs 20,000 crore. Another Rs 6,000 crore is needed for civil works,” a Congress MLA, who was present in the meeting, said. The Supreme Court, he said, has ordered compensation as per the rules followed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) when the land was notified for acquisition.
“The project has been delayed as no farmer wants to part with their property based on the SC order,” he said. However, an official said land acquisition according to the 2014 Act would cost Rs 15,000 crore. He said the cost of acquiring land according to the earlier rules is Rs 8,000 crore with interest.
The BJP government had last year pegged the cost of the project at Rs 21,000 crore. At least four legislators told DH that the government is keen on building the project and plans to finalise the compensation structure early. Other than the PRR, multiple subjects came up for discussion during the three-hour long discussion. Dy CM D K Shivakumar reportedly told the legislators that he would meet Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to seek financial support for the tunnel road project. Other subjects include: Clearing bills of contractors, solid waste management, and completion of pending projects.
Published 16 August 2023, 22:09 IST