BENGALURU: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is making another attempt to revive one of the long-delayed infrastructure projects of the city — the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR). This time, the authority is thinking of combining the project with Metro rail.
A senior BDA official said, “We have tried everything, but the project is not taking off. No bidders are coming forward. There are also land acquisition issues. We are planning to propose combining the road works with Metro rail, which is also expanding across the city. This will not just help draw companies to bid for the tender, but will also ensure the project is completed.”
As per BDA’s plan, gaps have to be earmarked along the median of the eight-lane carriageway for public utilities. “These gaps can be utilised for laying Metro rail lines. Bengaluru is fast growing and so is the need for Metro rail. The Metro connectivity in future needs to be expanded. So instead of acquiring land later, the two projects can be combined and executed fast,” the official said.
The proposal will be placed before the BDA Board and the government for discussion and final approval before deciding on the next course of action.
The PRR project was first conceptualised in 2006 for 116 km, to form a ring around Bengaluru connecting Hosur Road, Tumakuru Road, Bannerghatta Road, Old Madras Road and Magadi Road. The project was delayed and shelved due to land acquisition and financial issues. Half of the PRR, 42km, was built by the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Entreprise (NICE) from Hosur Road to Tumkuru Road.
To revive the project, in July this year, NICE Managing Director Ashok Khenny proposed to execute a portion of the project from Tumkuru Road to the international airport. But nothing moved forward. Recently, the BDA also decided to split the project into three when calling for tenders. BDA had called for tenders thrice, but no bidders came forward.
The project also landed in litigation with farmers opposing the land acquisition cost and process. The BDA had also proposed the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model for the PRR, but that was also not accepted by builders. JICA agreed to fund the road construction cost, but not the land acquisition cost.
BDA Chairman NA Harris said, “The long-shelved PRR will be completed and all steps will be taken. Metro is also needed for Bengaluru and so is the PRR.”