HENNUR:Traffic issues around the Hennur Main Road-Outer Ring Road junction have been never-ending, as work on the flyover has been stalled for over a year-and-a-half.
According to officials, the delay in completion of the project is due to land acquisition issues at both ends of the flyover. They will be sorted out soon, they say. The project was started in 2010 at a cost of Rs 58 crore and was supposed to have been completed within two years.
Speaking to Express, Latha Shankar, a gynaecologist who has her office in the area, said even though the project was aimed at reducing traffic jams along the busy intersection of Hennur Road and Outer Ring Road, there has been no relief. “There has been some dispute or the other and no work has happened for over a year,” she said.
Riyaz Ahmed Razak, a businessman, said that despite repeated pleas by the locals for the authorities to complete the project, land disputes have caused the delay. At one end, a land owner is part of the dispute, while there are problems with the Putta Veeranjaneya Swamy Temple at the other end, he said.
A traffic police officer in the area said: “Since a large number of vehicles use the road during peak hours, potholes keep surfacing. If some of the traffic is diverted, there will be less vehicular density at the intersection.”
Following repeated delays in the completion of the project, the deadline for completion, which was March 2015, has been extended.
When contacted, T Sham Bhatt, Commissioner, Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), said that the land acquisition issues have now been sorted out. “Owners will be compensated as per the guidelines of the new Land Acquisition Act. During the board meeting held recently, it was decided to provide them compensation. Works for the completion of the project will start shortly,” he said.
Compensation
In 2010, the flyover was estimated to be completed at a cost of Rs 58 crore. But now, the BDA will have to pay Rs 52 crore as compensation for acquiring 2 to 3 acres of land for the flyover.