State strikes a deal with NICE

State strikes a deal with NICE
BY R. JAYAPRAKASH
BENGALURU







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The agreement is likely to scale down the cost of the PRR to Rs 3,000 cr from the initial estimate of Rs 6,000 cr
The state govern ment and Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd have entered into a deal that will benefit commuters, save the exchequer crores of rupees and push the Bengaluru-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise towards realisation.

The government and NICE will collaborate on the Bangalore Development Authority’s 112-km Peripheral Ring Road project that has been jinxed by land acquisition and funding issues since it was proposed over five years ago. The deal, reaffirming the BJP’s commitment to NICE, will realign the PRR in an arch half its original length and connect it with NICE’s 42km peripheral road. The PRR will join the two ends of the NICE freeway at Tumkur Road and Hosur Road and circumnavigate the city outside the Outer Ring Road.

The agreement is likely to scale down the cost of the PRR to Rs 3,000 crore from the initial estimate of Rs 6,000 crore.

“The project never took off due to land acquisition and funding hassles. We had moved a proposal to hand over the project to the National Highways Authority of India since it has expertise in handling projects of this size,” said a source in the BDA.

However, when the project was discussed at the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) task force meetings, it was mooted that NICE’s peripheral road be connected to the PRR.

“A feasibility study was undertaken which paved the way for the agreement. The project was to be carried out in two phases but, under the current plan, phase II will be dropped since we will need to complete only the first phase of 64 km. This will halve the project cost and reduce land acquisition by up to 1,800 acres,” the source added.

The BDA has issued final notification for phase I of the project and objections have already been heard. “Only award of compensation is pending. We are in the process of cancelling the land acquisition notices issued for over 1,800 acres,” the source said.

The BDA had to stretch the road originally planned under phase I by 5 km to connect the PRR to the NICE road. But the rest of the plan including technical specifications, road design, signage and laning will remain the same. “There will be separate toll booths for the BDA stretch and the NICE road,” the source added.