S Lalitha By

BENGALURU: The Centre on Saturday gave the green signal for the Rs 11,950-crore Peripheral Ring Road proposed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).

The project aims to decongest vehicular traffic in Bengaluru in a big way.

The cost of acquiring 1,910 acres, which works out to Rs 8,100 crore, will be borne by the BDA and the state government, while the cost of executing the project, Rs 3,850 crore, will be provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JAICA). The project was conceived 10 years ago but litigation over land had stalled it.

Speaking to Express, BDA member-secretary S N Nayak said, “The talks went off fine in Delhi today. The project got an okay from the Centre. This is a mandatory clearance when foreign funding is involved.”

The original plan had envisaged a Rs 8,100-crore interest-free loan from the Centre. However, the Centre recently conveyed to the state that it would not be able to lend money for the project.

The PRR will be a 65-km, eight-lane project around the Outer Ring Road. It will link Tumakuru Road and Hosur Road, intersecting Dodaballapur Road, Ballari Road, Old Madras Road and Sarjapur Road.

“We plan to repay JAICA by collecting toll on the main carriageway,” Nayak said. The service lanes on either side of the road will be fully fenced, and toll-free.

Relief Question: The issue of paying Rs 8,100 crore as compensation for land acquired from farmers in 2005 had become a bone of contention. Farmers had staged numerous protests outside the BDA office since 2012 in this connection.

The BDA recently suggested to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to pay the farmers cash or provide Transfer of Developmental Rights (where an additional built-up area is provided in exchange for the area surrendered by the owner).

“We will do whatever we are told on the compensation issue,” Nayak said.