Move to aquire 31,000 sqm for suburban rail depot near Devanahalli

Bengaluru: The severely delayed Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) secured a boost with the govt issuing a notification to acquire nearly 31,000sqm of land near Devanahalli to set up a primary depot for the Majestic-Devanahalli corridor. The Sampige Line (Corridor-1) will connect Majestic and Devanahalli via Yelahanka, and officials plan a primary depot for this line at Akkupete near Devanahalli. Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) issued a preliminary notification last week to acquire land from five villages, including Devanahalli. The notification states K-Ride will develop the depot. The notification marks 14,000sqm in Akkupet, 7,340sqm in Sanna Amanikere, 6,969sqm in Hireamanikere, 1,504sqm in Upparahalli, and 1,100sqm in Devanahalli for acquisition. Some 50 properties stand on these parcels, most owned by private individuals, while National Highways Authority and the state govt also own some. The notification bans sale, lease, mortgage, or transfer of the notified land without prior permission from KIADB's special land acquisition officer — the competent authority in this case. Construction and development activities have also been restricted. Landowners have been warned not to obstruct or create hurdles for govt officials entering the notified properties. Compensation will be based on provisions of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, along with relevant sections of the KIADB Act. In a separate notification, KIADB declared the identified land as an industrial area. Officials said KIADB will acquire the land and hand it over to K-Ride. "About 31 acres have been identified for the facility, including 26 acres of forest land and 5 acres of govt land," a source from K-Ride said. "Forest clearance has been obtained for the project. KIADB has also notified acquisition of additional land to provide access to the depot."