<p class="bodytext">After languishing in bureaucratic limbo for nearly two decades, Bengaluru’s long-delayed Peripheral Ring Road – now rebranded as the Bengaluru Business Corridor – has begun to move. The calling of global tenders for the first phase marks a significant inflection point in one of the city’s most critical infrastructure projects. Envisaged as a 74-km arterial link connecting Tumakuru Road, Ballari Road, Old Madras Road, and Hosur Road, it is designed to divert freight and inter-city traffic away from the already overburdened Outer Ring Road and the city’s congested core. Crucially, it will also complete the half-arc left unfinished by the NICE Road. If executed as planned, the project could reshape mobility in Bengaluru, easing travel times, improving logistics efficiency, and unlocking new economic zones in the northern and eastern peripheries – areas that are rapidly emerging as technology and industrial hubs. Equally significant is the manner in which the project has been revived. The decision to split the corridor into packages and to proceed with tendering where land acquisition has substantially progressed reflects a pragmatic shift from earlier, rigid approaches that stalled progress. The first package, covering nearly 20 km between Madavara and Ballari Road, is a case in point. With over 80% of the land already secured, it offers a realistic starting point. Political will has clearly played a role in this momentum. While credit is due to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the project’s Chairman L K Atheeq injected urgency into a long-stalled process.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru’s infrastructure history is littered with cautionary tales, none more instructive than the protracted saga of the NICE Road project, which remains incomplete decades after its inception. The lessons are clear: delays in land acquisition, opaque contracting, and prolonged litigation can derail even the most well-intentioned initiatives. To avoid a similar fate, the execution of the Bengaluru Business Corridor must adhere strictly to the Karnataka Public Procurement Act. Transparency in tendering, clarity in contractual obligations, and fairness in land acquisition are not merely procedural requirements – they are safeguards against future legal challenges. At the same time, environmental guardrails must not be treated as an afterthought, given that sections of the alignment pass near ecologically sensitive zones. The generous compensation packages are a step in the right direction, but they must be implemented consistently and without arbitrariness.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The success of this project will not be measured by tenders floated or announcements made, but by timely and credible execution. Bengaluru cannot afford another infrastructure promise that remains perpetually under construction.</p>
<p class="bodytext">After languishing in bureaucratic limbo for nearly two decades, Bengaluru’s long-delayed Peripheral Ring Road – now rebranded as the Bengaluru Business Corridor – has begun to move. The calling of global tenders for the first phase marks a significant inflection point in one of the city’s most critical infrastructure projects. Envisaged as a 74-km arterial link connecting Tumakuru Road, Ballari Road, Old Madras Road, and Hosur Road, it is designed to divert freight and inter-city traffic away from the already overburdened Outer Ring Road and the city’s congested core. Crucially, it will also complete the half-arc left unfinished by the NICE Road. If executed as planned, the project could reshape mobility in Bengaluru, easing travel times, improving logistics efficiency, and unlocking new economic zones in the northern and eastern peripheries – areas that are rapidly emerging as technology and industrial hubs. Equally significant is the manner in which the project has been revived. The decision to split the corridor into packages and to proceed with tendering where land acquisition has substantially progressed reflects a pragmatic shift from earlier, rigid approaches that stalled progress. The first package, covering nearly 20 km between Madavara and Ballari Road, is a case in point. With over 80% of the land already secured, it offers a realistic starting point. Political will has clearly played a role in this momentum. While credit is due to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the project’s Chairman L K Atheeq injected urgency into a long-stalled process.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru’s infrastructure history is littered with cautionary tales, none more instructive than the protracted saga of the NICE Road project, which remains incomplete decades after its inception. The lessons are clear: delays in land acquisition, opaque contracting, and prolonged litigation can derail even the most well-intentioned initiatives. To avoid a similar fate, the execution of the Bengaluru Business Corridor must adhere strictly to the Karnataka Public Procurement Act. Transparency in tendering, clarity in contractual obligations, and fairness in land acquisition are not merely procedural requirements – they are safeguards against future legal challenges. At the same time, environmental guardrails must not be treated as an afterthought, given that sections of the alignment pass near ecologically sensitive zones. The generous compensation packages are a step in the right direction, but they must be implemented consistently and without arbitrariness.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The success of this project will not be measured by tenders floated or announcements made, but by timely and credible execution. Bengaluru cannot afford another infrastructure promise that remains perpetually under construction.</p>
