The State government on Wednesday told the High Court of Karnataka that it is exploring various other options, including a limited widening of the road, building a flyover/underpass, etc., to ease traffic on the roads adjoining Bangalore Palace Grounds, including the busy Ramana Maharshi Road (Ballari Road) stretch between Mekhri junction and Cauvery junction.
Also, the government told the court that its earlier proposal to offer Transferable Development Rights (TDR) to the occupants of the palace properties, subject to outcome of their pending challenge to the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition) Act, 1996 before the apex court, is not viable. The cost of TDR is astronomical, which cannot recover if the apex court upholds the palace acquisition law, the government has said.
The decision to explore other options to widen the road and ease traffic was taken during the meeting held on September 16 under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, said Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development Department) Rakesh Singh in his affidavit.
Other options
The government also said that it will first explore the possibility of widening the Mekhri junction and Cauvery junction stretch using only the lands that are already available with the government.
It will also examine alternative access to the marriage halls and exhibition halls situated inside the palace grounds as vehicles of people visiting these halls clog the traffic on this stretch significantly,
The government has filed the affidavit during the hearing of a PIL petition filed by Samarpana, a cultural and social organisation, seeking direction to widen the Ballari road stretch to ease vehicular movement.
A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty, which examined the affidavit, said that there is no clarity in the affidavit on the extent and manner of widening of the road, and asked the Government to clarify these aspects.
The government also told the Bench that the apex court, which in 2014 permitted the government to offer TDR subject to final outcome of the litigation on the palace acquisition law, had in May 2022 left it to the authorities to take a decision in this regard.
