BDA notification for peripheral ring road likely on Saturday

BDA notification for peripheral ring road likely on Saturday
The Hindu

3,479 acres of land in 104 villages to be acquired for the Rs. 990-crore project

# Total road length estimated at 109 km.
# Eight-lane highway planned
# All the highways will be connected on the outskirts
# Master plan envisages commuter train service

BANGALORE: The notification for land acquisition for peripheral ring road will be issued on Saturday. The process is expected to be completed in six months, said M.N. Vidyashankar, Commissioner of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).

He told The Hindu on Wednesday that 3,479 acres of land in 104 villages will be acquired for the Rs. 990-crore project. The 108.9-km stretch will provide commuters an easy exit from the city. It will have an eight-lane highway with a 10-metre central median.

"Traffic will be moving at a fast pace on this road and so we want to reduce accidents as far as possible," he said. The peripheral road will eventually link all the highways leading out of the city, such as Hosur Road, Old Madras Road, Mysore Road, Kanakapura Road, Tumkur Road, Bellary Road, Magadi Road, Sarjapur Road, and Bannerghatta Road. The Comprehensive draft Master Plan 2015, developed by the BDA, advocates for quick development of the peripheral road as a solution to reducing the city's congestion.

The Master Plan focuses on the need for the city to develop an integrated public transport system.

Commuter train

Apart from developing a mass public transport system, it suggests promoting a commuting railway system. "A commuter railway system that works on the existing railway lines may be a more feasible and less expensive option to the metro rail," said an urban developer who worked on the developing the Master Plan.

The railway line can be along the main corridors of the city and serve areas not manned by the proposed metro rail plan, he added.

Scepticism

A traffic expert was sceptical about the establishment of the commuter rail proposed by the Master Plan. "The Railways has been thinking along these lines for ages. There is no point in the Master Plan mentioning plans that will most likely not materialise," he said.

Criticism of CDP

The traffic expert is critical of the extent of transport detailing provided in the Master Plan. "It talks about having a better organised bus transport system and linking the periphery better. But it gives no details," he said.

The urban developer at SEC said the company had had consultations with the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation to link the periphery of the city better. But the two organisations together did not do any feasibility study together nor did they develop a plan to better connect the city. "Two years was a really short time. We could not make any concrete traffic plans."

Day three

Day three of the public viewing of maps and documents containing details of the draft Master Plan continued to see surging crowds. People thronged the venue to see what the future of their sites will be. Most were anxious to find out about the future of the green belt.