FRINGE benefits

FRINGE benefits
POINT 14: Satellite townships will be attractive destinations if infrastructure there matches that of the city
R Krishnakumar | TNN


The decongestion mantra for Greater Bangalore, as conceived in the integrated township model, is still an idea. The state’s announcement of a slew of township projects, over the past few years, had led to the customary artist’s impressions and mega-buck investment plans. Just that the idea has time and again run into a familiar wall: opposition over land acquisition. Even as state agencies like the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) devise plans for townships on the fringes of Bangalore, the key to take Bangalore’s development on the satellite township mode rests with the land-losing farmer.
Of the five integrated townships proposed by the BMRDA — in Bidadi, Ramanagaram, Sathanur, Solur and Nandagudi — only the Bidadi project has made some headway. But again, it’s the time taken for acquisition of land, especially fertile farmland, that has proved critically binding for the take-off of these townships. Apart from the townships, the special economic zones (SEZs) proposed in the state have also witnessed widespread protests.
While the proposal for an SEZ in Nandagudi was greeted with massive protests by farmers and is still a nonstarter, the Bidadi Integrated Township Project (BITP) is still caught in a clash of interests between the state and the project developer over terms in the development agreement. The litigation against the acquisition of land has also acted as a hurdle for developers.
The developers’ concern, over possibilities of a delayed land acquisition and a subsequent rise in the investment, has been an over-riding factor in the township and SEZ projects proposed in the state. With more than 50,000 acres of land proposed to be acquired for the five townships, the assurance of a fair compensation deal for the land-losers assumes greater importance.
The state’s idea of having the land-loser as a partner in progress, by way of handing over developed land as compensation, has found takers. The key for the future, according to real estate industry professionals, will be in further establishing the land-ascompensation formula for acquisition by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB). According to experts, amendments to the state’s land acquisition act, in tune with the times, could also be a positive step forward for the clearance of township projects in the state. The government’s relatively new role of the facilitator — as against the land acquirer — is also seen as a change in the positive direction, clearing the decks for direct talks and financial agreements between the project developer and the land-loser.
The acquisition of land for the proposed SEZs continues to be an area of concern for KIADB but with the SEZs, the issue is pegged more to aspects like priorities given to the industries. One of the concerns raised by industry watchers is that the manufacturing industries — often overshadowed by the high-visibility IT/ITES sectors — have not been given their due space in the state’s SEZ roadmap.
Future on the fringes
The state has defined the proposed townships as live-andwork layouts that come with amenities like hospitals, schools, banks, restaurants, malls and multiplexes. The concept of integrated living makes sense in an increasingly congested city. As the central business district and other upmarket areas in the city feel the heat over the burgeoning number of commuters, a roadmap to disburse the rush to the fringes of Bangalore becomes a workable idea for the urban planner. But the possibilities are fraught with threats.
If what’s been happening in terms of ‘development’ in areas on the city’s outskirts is any indication, the township formula also comes with the risk of unplanned development, leading to a serious infrastructure crunch.
Urban planners point out that the township formula could come a cropper if aspects like connectivity, drainage systems and availability of water are not given their due attention. The point will not be in creating far-off islands with glass facades and fancy lifestyles and triggering off a virtual land price boom, when there is no supporting infrastructure. The idea will be to ready the areas ahead of the boom.
Kengeri satellite town, designed on the outskirts of the city years ago, may stand out as an example of moderate success. Here again, the influx of new settlers led to a fall in the standards of civic infrastructure.
Since townships close to Bangalore could lead to these locations soon becoming part of the Bangalore mainstream, critics also want the state to explore the township formula in other districts. Their contention is that if the idea is to decongest Bangalore and ensure balanced employment generation — that, in turn, means less migration into Bangalore — the best step forward is in planning integrated townships in Tier-II and Tier-III towns.
ON THE TOWNSHIP MAP
Workable land acquisition formula for smoother take-off Endorsement of developed land-as-compensation formula The state’s role as facilitator and not land acquirer Measures to ensure planned development in township locations Assured civic infrastructure, including water and drainage Good road connectivity, transportation system Readiness of location much ahead of the township launch Options to develop townships in Tier-II, Tier-III towns