Bengaluru, Oct 16 (IANS) The Congress-led Karnataka government said on Thursday that it will construct a 117-km-long toll road within Bengaluru city in the next two years, aiming to reduce traffic congestion in the city by 40 per cent.

The new toll road will be called the Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC), and the project will be executed by the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA).

Addressing a press conference at the Vidhana Soudha, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar made the announcement following a Cabinet meeting.

“Today, the Karnataka government has taken a major decision in the Cabinet meeting. I am announcing that the previous government had notified 117 km of road in the northern and southern parts of the peripheral ring road. We have now renamed it as the Bengaluru Business Corridor. It lies within the city of Bengaluru,” he said.

The state government aims to complete the 117-km road within next two years.

The 100-metre-wide corridor will be developed in two stretches — BBC-1 and BBC-2 — in the southern and northern parts of Bengaluru.

“Once implemented, this project will reduce traffic congestion by up to 40 per cent,” Shivakumar said.

“Of the 100-metre width, 65 metre will be allotted for the road including service lanes, and five metres will be reserved for a proposed double-decker Metro project. The existing Bengaluru-Mysuru road is also 65 metres wide. On the remaining land within the 100-metre corridor, farmers will be allowed to carry out commercial activities instead of being given cash compensation, keeping their interests in mind,” he added.

He clarified that no fresh land acquisition would be undertaken for the project.

“Every attempt to challenge this in the court has failed. Even though 17 years have passed since the land was notified, and there is pressure to de-notify, we will not do it. We have decided to go ahead with the road. Even Opposition MLAs have appreciated the project,” he claimed.

“For lands within corporation limits, compensation will be twice the guidance value, and for rural areas, three times the guidance value.”

“In the northern part, the expenditure was earlier estimated at Rs 27,000 crore. Now, with the state government’s schemes, it will be brought down to less than Rs 10,000 crore. I believe most land owners will prefer land-based compensation, but those who want cash can also opt for it,” Shivakumar said.

“Earlier, previous governments had notified lands from Tumakuru Road to Electronics City and further towards Mysuru Road. However, no further steps were taken to implement the project. One of the previous governments even considered dropping it as the road would touch the NICE Corridor,” he noted.

“Today, Bengaluru urgently needs an alternative road. After our (Congress) government came to power, we decided that no land notified for roads should be de-notified. To address Bengaluru’s traffic woes, the BDA will implement this project,” Shivakumar stressed.

He added that while there was no provision for land compensation earlier, the state government has decided to provide compensation to farmers.

“There are 60:40 and 50:50 schemes already in place. As this is a commercial road, 35 per cent of the developed land will be given back to farmers as compensation. If they want commercial space, they will get 35 per cent; if they want residential, they will be allotted 40 per cent,” he said.

“New pricing will be fixed, and two types of Transferable Development Rights will be issued. Farmers can also opt for Floor Area Ratio,” he added.

“The road will pass through Kogilu, Yelahanka, Electronics City, Mysuru Road, and the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre. Of the total stretch, 75 km will fall in the northern part of the city and the remaining in the south,” he said.

–IANS

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