Town planners oppose BDA peripheral road

Town planners oppose BDA peripheral road
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Moving at a snail's pace. The BDA plan has encountered another obstacle in it's path.Several town planners are against the proposed peripheral road between Tumkur Road and Hosur Road.

According to them, the peripheral toll road constructed by the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), which connects to the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor, will run parallel to the proposed peripheral road. The distance between the two parallel roads will range from 0.6 kms to 2.2 kms.

“Two important roads need not run so close. The peripheral road can merge with the toll road. The rest of the route of the road is fine,” says S C Kari Gowda, former director, Town Planning Department and chairman, Karnataka Regional Chapter, Indian Town Planners’ Institute.

The length of the toll road is 41 km and the length of the peripheral road is 45 km.

“There is no point in creating a six-lane peripheral road parallel to the four-lane toll road. The cost saving for the Government will be approximately Rs 227 crores, if the peripheral road on this stretch is avoided,” says B V Anand, former director and general manager, Buckeye Corporation India Ltd.

Town planners also suggest other measures like the merging of the roads or the construction of service roads, besides the toll road.

“The merging of the two roads can serve the purpose,” says Gowda. Anand, however, suggests the construction of service roads running besides the toll road. There is a provision of 15 metres of ‘No Development Zone’ on either side of the proposed toll road.

“The ‘No Development Zone’ area can be used by the BDA for constructing the peripheral service road for non-toll users,” Anand says.

Besides the cost saving factor, the threat to the green belt also goes with the peripheral road. As per the draft Master Plan, there is a green wedge of 11,294 acres between the toll road and the peripheral road.

With the history of urban sprawl and ribbon development in the city, there is a likelihood that more unauthorised layouts will come up on this wedge, ultimately eroding the greenery.

“The green-wedge struck between two major high traffic roads will also have a disastrous impact on the flora and fauna of this area,” he says.

Town planners feel that only one road will do. Since NICE has already entered into an agreement with the Government on the implementation of the toll road and the peripheral road is yet to receive the government’s approval, constructing this road could be avoided, they opine.