BBMP begins land acquisition for road widening in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: To ensure free movement of vehicles from the north-eastern part of the city towards KR Puram and Hoskote, the BBMP has started land acquisition for its much-delayed project to widen Kothanur-Avalahalli road and also Kalkere Road connecting to the outer ring road.BBMP had issued separate notifications to finalise the acquisition process for these two projects in the Mahadevapura zone.According to officials, the 10.5-km stretch between Kothanur and Avalahalli traverses via Byrathi, Bileshivale, Aaduru, Bidarahalli, Hirandahalli, and Ramapura. On this stretch, about 4km of the road falls under the BBMP limits, and the remaining stretch is under various gram panchayats. BBMP mooted the road-widening project in 2009 and acquired several properties, paying compensation in the form of transferable development rights (TDR).According to sources, there was a scam in issuing TDR, and the then Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) had raided the premises of a BBMP official and a few brokers. They allegedly issued TDR to the former owners of the acquired land instead of issuing it to the owners of the properties at the time of issuing compensation. Later, the project was abandoned, and BBMP recently resumed the land acquisition process.Officials said they would widen the present road to 80 feet for a 4-km stretch. Presently, the road is about 30-60 feet wide.BBMP also issued a notification to acquire properties for Kalkere road widening. This road will connect Kithaganur, Maragondanahalli, Channasandra, and Kalkere before leading to the ORR. BBMP will widen this 5-km stretch to 45 metres wide.The Kalkere road widening started in 2009-10, and work was completed on a small stretch. The project was stopped due to various reasons, including land acquisition. Widening of these roads is expected to reduce the vehicle burden on KR Puram and the Tin Factory area.BBMP asked landowners to submit their documents within 30 days from the date of publication of the notice. They have to give their consent for the grant of development rights to the BBMP chief commissioner. BBMP will issue TDR to the owners to use their property for the road.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword.