Date:03/05/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/05/03/stories/2007050317450500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Plan for 50 years, officials told

Staff Reporter

BDA unveils big plans for expanding Outer Ring Road

BESEECHED: People narrating their grievances to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to improve the amenities, at a function to start the work on the second floor of BDA Complex at Banashankari II Stage in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: V. Sreen ivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: When designing projects for the city, keep in mind the city's growth for the next 50 years. This was Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's direction to officials at the foundation-laying ceremony of several development works, organised by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) on Wednesday.

"The Outer Ring Road does not look like a ring road. When it was being designed, why was it not planned to accommodate more traffic? The city has been planned without a vision," he said.

Stating that soaring temperatures were a cause of concern, Mr. Kumaraswamy asked officials to take up greening of old areas in the city, and not just the new layouts.

"We should not just be cutting trees down to make roads and say they will be planted elsewhere. An effort must be made to grow more trees wherever they are being cut down."

Encroachments

Reiterating that encroachments were a result of connivance between officials and public representatives, he said that ordinary people were cheated of their money. He promised that those who had been living in areas for several years and had not received their possession certificates would soon get them.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated several projects to be taken up by the BDA. They include a slew of projects, amounting to Rs. 133 crore, better connectivity in the 5.7 km stretch between Tumkur Road and Mysore Road.

A grade separator will be built at the junction of Magadi Road and Outer Ring Road intersection. The intersection leads to Tumkur Road in the north, Mysore Road in the south, Magadi in the west and Majestic in the east.

Building this Rs. 25.4 crore grade separator was expected to reduce traffic pressure at this busy junction by 57 per cent.

Six-lane road

A new six-lane ring road will be built connecting Mysore Road and Magadi Road and an underpass will be built at the Bangalore-Mysore railway line at Nayandahalli.

New layouts

Internal roads at J.P. Nagar 8th and 9th phase, Anjanapura layout and Banashankari 6th phase will be asphalted at a total cost of Rs. 31 crore. Asphalting of main roads has been completed at Anjanapura and Banashanakri V stage at a total cost of Rs. 7.5 crore.

To satisfy the demand for commercial space in Banashankari II Stage, an extra floor will be added to the existing BDA complex at a cost of Rs. 2.9 crore.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said that to facilitate easy parking in the area, he had directed the BDA to take steps to build underground parking lot at the complex.