Super Highway back from hibernation as poll plank

Tale of a prestigious project: Cost up by 25%,road cut by half 

Bidarana Agrahara where land has been acquired for the PRR 

Due to cost escalation,the 100-metre carriageway has been proposed to be trimmed to 50-60 metres in its new avatar.The surplus land will be developed and given back to the project-affected people in lieu of monetary compensation. 

The BJP government in the state has decided to take the highway to next year's assembly polls.So,the 100-metre Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) by the BDA,touted as the Super Highway of Bangalore,is back from hibernation after nine long years,although its size will be shrunk by almost half owing to the high costs.. When the big-budget project was conceptualized in 2003,and finally got cabinet approval in 2007,the project cost of this 116-km ring road,inclusive of compensation,had been estimated at Rs 3,600 crore.

Now,after gathering dust for nine years,the government wants to put it in on fast-track mode before the assembly elections are announced.But due to cost escalation and BDA's poor financial health,the 100-metre width may have to be chopped to 50-60 metres. The surplus land will be developed and given back to the land losers in lieu of monetary compensation.The re-drawn detailed project report will soon be placed before the state cabinet for approval.

In 2007,the state cabinet cleared the project and gave the go-ahead for land acquisition.Back then,the PRR was touted as the costliest ring road in the state it stood at Rs 31 crore per km as the land cost in the periphery had shot up and the project also had underpasses and changeovers added to its alignment.Now,in 2012,the project cost has crossed Rs 4,500 crore and before the poll vault,the powers that be want to showcase PRR as their signature project for Bangalore and have set the ball in motion for its implementation.

The project has been re-drawn the eight-lane carriageway stretching up to 100 metres will be trimmed down to 50 or 60 metres. The idea behind this is to give back the project-affected people a portion of the developed land,left surplus by the curtailment of PRR's width,instead of monetary compensation under the land-to land compensation scheme. BDA commissioner T Sham Bhat told Bangalore Mirror,The NICE corridor is only 25 metres. It was felt that the proposed 100-metre carriageway was not required.We are getting another DPR done to trim it down to 50-60 metres. Since we have already acquired the land and not paid compensation yet,the unused land in the circuit will be developed and given back to the project-affected people as compensation.The new project note will be brought before the state cabinet for its approval. The question staring the government in the face is: Who will implement the project It finding no takers in the Global Investors Meet obviously meant that the PPP model is ruled out.The authorities are exploring the option of borrowing from an international bank.

NEW COMPENSATION SCHEME 

According to the land-to-land compensation scheme,instead of monetary compensation,the land losers can be given back a chunk of developed land for every acre,8,000 sq ft which they can either use or sell off at the going market rate.

Had this scheme not been in place,we would have had to procure more land for compensation package.Since we are trimming down the carriageway,we need not invest again in land again,and thus bring down the project cost, Bhat said.

SUPER HIGHWAY 

About 10 km away from the existing Outer Ring Road,the 116-km PRR will connect Tumkur Road,Magadi Road,Mysore Road,Bellary Road,Old Madras Road,Hosur Road and Kanakapura Road.The project will be taken up in two phases.Phase I,covering 65 km,will encompass the Tumkur Road-Hosur Road crossing,Bellary Road,Old Madras Road,Varthur Road and Sarjapur Road.The 51-km Phase II will link the Hosur Road -Tumkur Road crossing,Kanakapura Road,Mysore Road and Magadi Road.The project will use up 3,500 acres of land.

ADVANTAGE HYDERABAD 

With the proposed shrinking of the PRR,Bangalore would be losing out to Hyderabad,its traditional rival when it comes to infrastructure development.The Andhra Pradesh capital has an eight-lane highway,said to be one of its kind in the country.The PRR,at its full 100-metre width,would have been its closest competitor.