The Bangalore Development Authority has decided to conduct one more round of public hearing on the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) citing realignment in some stretches and the need for an additional 700 acres of land.
The first public hearing was held in August 2020 when COVID-19 cases were on the uptick, much to the anger and dismay of citizen groups and environmental activists who pointed out that the project will have huge environmental implications.
“Considering that there is a change in the alignment and additional land is being identified, another round of public hearing is necessary. When the public hearing was conducted for the first time, we received over 700 objections, the majority of which raised concerns over the loss of green cover,” said a BDA official.
As per the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that was made public in the year 2020, PRR will be built at the cost of 3,838 trees. Of these, 9,304 trees fall under T.G. Halli catchment. Around 631 trees are in Jarakabande reserve forest. The project also needs a diversion of 10.117 hectares of forestland.
When asked about whether more trees will have to make way for the project due to realignment, the official said, “The number of trees identified for removal will remain more or less the same. In the coming days, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) will publish the documents in the coming days. Thereafter, the hearing will be organised through the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner’s office,” he said.
The 74-km project requires 2,560 acres of land and will connect Tumakuru Road with Hosur Road. Years ago, the BDA had notified 1,810 acres of land. The remaining land is likely to be notified in the next few days.
Tender documents uploaded
The BDA has re-uploaded tender documents on the e-procurement portal. The pre-bidding meeting will be held on April 28 and the last date for submission of bids is May 18. The BDA will take up the project under Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model. As per the State Government’s decision, private parties will have to bear land acquisition costs but will get toll collection rights for 50 years.
