Karnataka Cabinet approves 117-km Bengaluru Business Corridor

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 16 (ANI): The Karnataka Cabinet has approved the ambitious 117-km Bengaluru Business Corridor, aimed at easing traffic congestion and improving connectivity across the city. The corridor will link Tumakuru Road to Mysuru Road via Yelahanka and Electronic City, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Shivakumar said the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project has been rebranded and cleared as the Bengaluru Business Corridor.
"The state government has taken a big step. The erstwhile Peripheral Ring Road project has been renamed as Bengaluru Business Corridor and has been approved. The government is rewriting history by announcing such a big road project. The land owners have been given four compensation options," he said.
"The corridor road project will connect Tumakuru Road to Mysuru Road through Yelahanka and Electronic City. As much as 73 km of this road will be in North Bengaluru and the rest in South Bengaluru," he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the State government has decided to take a loan of Rs 27,000 crore for the project through Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO).
"The previous government had notified the project but had not taken it back. Bengaluru needs an alternative to NICE Road. We have decided to take a loan of Rs 27,000 crore for the project through HUDCO," he added.
"The initial notification was for a road width of 100 meters, but we have decided to keep the road width of 65 meters, which is as wide as the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway. It will have a provision of 5 meters for a metro project in the future. The remaining 35 meters of land will be given back to farmers as compensation," he added.
He said that four compensation options are being offered to landowners. "There is a provision to provide twice the value of the market rate as compensation. If some land owners do not want commercial land, we will provide them with 40% development land in BDA layouts," he explained.
He stated that the project will be completed within two years. "If some land owners refuse to give the land, we will place the compensation as a deposit money in the court and proceed with the project. No land will be de-notified at any cost. The growing traffic in Bengaluru is suffocating, and hence the government has taken this historic decision," he said.
Asked about the overall project cost, the Deputy CM said, "The original estimate of the project was Rs 27,000 crore. Now that more farmers are likely to opt for land compensation, the project is likely to cost less than Rs 10,000 crores."
On the expected traffic relief, Shivakumar said the project is estimated to reduce traffic inside the city by up to 40 per cent, with vehicles using the new corridor instead of city roads. "We are expecting a 40% reduction in traffic as vehicles moving would be using this road instead of passing through the city," he said.
On toll charges, he said, "I would not like to discuss it now. It is a technical aspect and we will share it later. No road can operate without tolls."
Asked if farmers can choose multiple compensation options, he said, "Only cash compensation would be provided to those with less than 20 gunta of land. Those with more than that have been given options to choose from."
Asked why the project was gathering dust for two decades, he said, "There was no political will in the previous governments. I gave the responsibility to L K Atheeq to ensure the project gets completed fast."
Responding to criticism from Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who alleged a Rs 15,000 crore scam in the B Khata to A Khata conversion process, Shivakumar remarked, "Good for him, let him deploy his investigation team to check."
On the caste census, he stated, "We are redoing the census as it was 10 years old and hence we are redoing it. Our aim is to provide justice to all. We have already declared a holiday for schools, and we can't extend the survey anymore." (ANI)