BENGALURU: The Peripheral Ring Road Farmers and Site Owners’ Association (PRR Raitha Hagu Niveshanadarara Sangha) has opposed the state government’s move to acquire 2,560 acres of land to implement the PRR-1 project (Tumkur Road–Hosur Road).
Ramesh Krishna, general secretary of the association, on Friday said the process initiated to award compensation for land losers is anti-farmer. “Any major infrastructure project should have a DPR (detailed project report). Moreover, at least 80% of land acquisition should be completed. The government is going ahead with the PRR project without these aspects. Inviting tenders in such a situation is unfair and illegal,” he said.
The BDA’s compensation proposal is unjust and inadequate. It violates the principles of fair compensation. “The government is going ahead with compensation based on guideline values as per BDA’s 2016 rules. But our demand is that land be acquired and compensation paid under the 2013 Act,” he said.
The association demanded that the state government and BDA strictly follow the statutory procedures under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013). This includes market-linked valuation, social impact assessment (SIA), public hearings, rehabilitation and resettlement and time-bound and just compensation.
The association said that its aim is to seek urgent attention to the procedural, legal, environmental, and compensation-related violations by BDA in the implementation of the PRR/BBC project.
Stating that the PRR scheme has lapsed under Section 27 of the BDA Act, the office-bearers of the association said the land owners should immediately seek NOCs in their favour. “Any scheme that is not executed within five years of announcement will lapse automatically and PRR dates back to 2007 with no progress for nearly 20 years. A lapsed scheme cannot be revived, extended, or used for land acquisition or for inviting tenders. Therefore, BDA has no legal authority to proceed with the project. The landowners must be given NOCs immediately,” said a member of the association.
The members said tenders were invited without any DPR and without 80% land acquisition – a procedural breach and an illegal attempt to push the project forward.
Officials told to take over properties for ORR-PRR widening
Bengaluru East City Corporation Additional Commissioner Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar held a meeting with officials from various departments on the implementation of the 24-metre road widening project connecting Outer Ring Road (ORR) to Peripheral Ring Road (PRR). The project involves Phase-1 implementation of the road connecting ORR to PRR via Mahadevapura, Doddanekkundi, Pattandur Agrahara and Nagonahalli.
“The Additional Commissioner issued strict instructions to officials to take possession of properties marked for road widening, collect details of the remaining properties pending for acquisition, and initiate the process of issuing the notifications,” said a senior official. Town Planning officials in BDA and GBA were instructed to immediately submit approved development plan copies and RD copies related to land reserved for road widening near Bagmane Tech Park and Brigade area to the Land Acquisition and TDR section. “Survey department officials were instructed to inspect the ‘kharab’ land near Goshala and submit a report.”