Arkavathy land now for expressway

Arkavathy land now for expressway
The Times of India

Bangalore: While the dust is yet to settle on Arkavathy Layout land litigation, here is one more acquisition within the layout. The access-controlled expressway connecting National Highway 7 to the Devanahalli International Airport, which will cut through Outer Ring Road, will also be along the Arkavathy Layout.
Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has cleared the land in block number 19 of Challakere village of Arkavathy Layout, where sites have already been formed and allotted, for BMRDA to make way for expressway.
As many as 518 residential sites with dimensions of 30 ft by 40 ft and 20 ft by 30 ft spread across 37,368 sq mts will be handed over to BMRDA. This, apart from hundreds of corner plots covering 3,834 sq mts, according to the copy of the plan obtained by The Times of India.
This access-controlled expressway — the 60-metre wide road from Hennur ring road to international airport — will handle the traffic moving to airport from the city. It is estimated that once the airport is commissioned, the traffic volume would be 11.5 million per year. Since NH-7 will not be able to handle such huge volumes, this expressway starts at a point on outer ring road and goes onto Challakere via Bagalur and hits international airport.
The 25-km expressway, modelled on the lines of Delhi-Gurgaon Road, is a toll road and has been estimated to cost Rs 5 crore per km, which would take the project cost to Rs 125 crore. Work on this project is yet to begin and will be completed around the same time the airport work ends.
According to officials, the BDA will compensate owners of sites in Challakere village, with alternative sites in the same layout.
Initially, the BDA had announced distribution of 20,000 sites in Arkavathy Layout. However, with the land acquisition being embroiled in litigation, the BDA is yet to get possession of 748 acres. This has resulted in reduction in the number of sites. So far, 9,000 sites have been allotted and under the present circumstances, maximum number of sites that BDA can form is 15,000.
GROUND REALITY
Sites in the following survey numbers in Challakere village, 19th block, have been handed over to BMRDA: 13, 19, 20, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38
Number of residential sites: 518
Residential sital area 37,368 sq mts; corner plots’ area 3,834 sq mts