After poor response to the first public consultation on the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) due to confusion over the event itself and the fact that the venue was away from the city centre, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has announced a virtual consultation on September 3 at noon.
The authority, in a press release issued on Friday, said that the public can participate by using Zoom. “The meeting ID and passcode will be published on the official website of the BDA and website of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB),” said the BDA.
People can also send their suggestions and comments to eebdaprr@gmail.com on or before September 19.
On August 18, the BDA held the first public consultation. However, due to the pandemic, the meeting received poor response. Prior to the public consultation, activists and some elected representatives had demanded that the BDA postpone the consultation. Despite the opposition, the BDA went ahead with the meeting.
New alignment
To save residential apartments at Seegehalli, the BDA has changed the alignment of the PRR. BDA Commissioner H.R. Mahadeva told The Hindu that residential apartments having more than 1,500 flats will be spared from acquisition and demolition. The change in alignment will help the BDA save close to ₹2,000 crore that is required for acquisition of the residential apartments.
“Acquiring these properties is a cumbersome process, which will cause delays. Instead, agricultural land will be acquired. Alignment in the area has been changed by taking a detour for a distance of one km. The subject of change in alignment will be placed before the Board for approval,” said Mr. Mahadeva.
In 2007-08, primary and final notifications were issued for 1,800 acres needed to be acquired for the project barring 79 acres. The project requires additional 795 acres for integration with NICE Road, toll plazas and other purposes.
“Notification for the additional land will be issued in the coming days,” he added.
Environmental impact
The PRR is a controversial project for multiple reasons, especially its impact on the environment and ecosystem of lakes and catchment areas. More than 33,000 trees have been identified for removal to make way for the road. The construction of the road also needs more than 10 hectares of forest land.
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