Begur road-widening project delayed as land owners reject TDR offer

Bengaluru: Begur road, which links Bannerghatta road to Electronic City, will continue to pose the biggest challenge to commuters as the civic body's proposal to widen it from 30 ft to 80 ft will again be put on hold because landowners are not happy with Transferable Development Rights (TDR) being offered by the Bangalore Development Authority.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) recently proposed to widen the road linking Bommanahalli Vivekananda Circle to Begur, Hongasandra, Kodichikkanahalli, God Chikkunahalli, Miko Project, Vishwapriya Project, Jigani, Anekal, Bannerghatta road, Electronic City. The 3.6 km road will be widened in two phases, with the first one expected to cost Rs 42 crore. Around 750 properties are required for the purpose. The BBMP started the process of land acquisition. However, some of the owners were not keen on TDR.

According to the reports, for Phase I, 21284 sqm of land belonging to 257 property owners will be provided Transfer of Development Rights (TDR).

"Most of the land to be acquired belongs to the activists and top leaders of political parties and it is the only reason that the project is getting delayed. As per my knowledge, many locals have agreed to TDR. Commuting along Bommanahalli, Bannerghatta Road, Jigani and Electronics City road in southern Bengaluru will become less painful only after this project is completed," says Sandeep, a resident of Begur.

The BBMP had issued a notification for land acquisition in 2017 and finalised the bidder and forwarded the project to the government for approval. It had also included the project in its 2018 budget, earmarking Rs 15 crore as the initial allocation which they even marked a few properties but didn't go ahead with the process. Later they issued a notification under Section 14-B of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 and rule 3 for Benefit of Development Rights Rules 2016, to acquire the properties for the widening of Begur road from Swamy Vivekananda statue to St Francis School.

According to the source, first the project cost was proposed at Rs 40 crore and later it was revised to Rs 60 crore. But land acquisition is a big headache for the civic agency as people have turned down the TDR offer. It has been said that officials and local activists have planned to appeal to the Chief Minister for a Rs 500-crore fund for land owners compensation.

"It took nearly three months for us to collect data on land required for the project. The project was about to start but TDR issuing created a problem, The compensation offered by the civic body did not reach the expectations of the land owners. Hope this issue will be resolved soon by the government. If everything goes according to plan, the project will be ready by next year," says a BBMP senior official.