Given the cost escalation and uncertainty over funding, the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has decided to prepare a feasibility report on the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) mooted for the city.
The PRR was initially mentioned in the Mysuru Master Plan 2031 which received administrative nod from the government in January 2016. But five years after announcing the intent for PRR, it remained grounded due to lack of funds and uncertainty as to who would foot the cost besides land acquisition issues.
MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev told The Hindu that he has sought a fresh study to be conducted for preparation of a feasibility report as there are issues related to funding. “There is endless debate on funding of the project and hence before even preparing a DPR we will assess whether Mysuru really needs a PRR at this point in time and if there was traffic to justify the cost’’, said Mr. Rajeev.
When asked whether it amounted to junking the project altogether or putting it in the backburner again, Mr. Rajeev said the feasibility report will decide the way forward for MUDA to pursue it.
The key issue revolves around land acquisition for the PRR which requires more than 600 acres in addition to 400 acres already with the MUDA. The land acquisition cost alone is expected to be in excess of ₹1000 crore, a sum which the government cannot release in the present time as its revenue has taken a hit due to the pandemic. Land is at premium outside the city limits and hence procuring it at market rates may make the project financially unviable.
But other sources said even if the government finds a way out to fund the infrastructure project which received a boost in the new budget of the Union government, it has to be justified in terms of city’s projected growth and traffic density. Hence the need for a feasibility report before preparing a DPR and taking the project to the appropriate authorities to seek funds, the sources added.
Though the original intent of the proposed PRR which will have a length of 106 km , was to wean away the traffic to ensure that the city’s vehicle density on roads remain low, a project of this scale without a feasibility report cannot be taken forward, the sources said.
The MUDA Chairman had also discussed the issue with officials of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) during their visit. Though they were positive about the project, a feasibility report taking into consideration the city’s projected population growth, industrial development and the consequent increase in the vehicle density have to be assessed.
The PRR was supposed to come at a distance of 5 km to 6 km from the existing Outer Ring Road and the alignment hugged most of the semi-urban areas which are now outside the MUDA’s jurisdiction. Though the PRR was a key selling point for land developers in those areas on the grounds that the area linked by PRR will witness rapid growth, such speculations have to wait till the feasibility report is ready.
