PRR compensation sets a precedent because landowners voluntarily accept compensation: DKS

Landowners affected by the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project are coming forward willingly to accept compensation, an unprecedented development in infrastructure projects across the country, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Monday. Referring to the PRR as an example of smoother land acquisition, he said compensation payments have already started, with individual payouts ranging from ₹3 crore to a whopping ₹10-15 crore.

Mr. Shivakumar noted that if the PRR project had been implemented earlier, it would have cost the government only ₹4,000-₹5,000 crore, but delays have significantly increased the cost. Meanwhile, the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed tunnel road connecting KR Puram and Mysuru Road is currently under preparation, he said.

He added that the DPR for a 44-km double-decker road project has been completed and the project, estimated to cost around ₹9,000 crore, will be tendered soon. Infrastructure facilities are also being developed on land provided by the Army as part of coordination with defense authorities, he said, adding that ₹50 crore has been earmarked for street vendors as part of the government’s urban development initiatives.

About the layout of Dr. Deputy Chief Minister K. Shivaram Karanth said the court has directed the government to compensate landowners whose land was acquired for the project. Of the 34,977 planned sites, approximately 17,000 will be allocated to landowners. He said the government plans to hold a special function to distribute compensation to all eligible landowners, coinciding with the Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) 50th anniversary.

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Responding to criticism over granting cabinet rank to chairmen of 54 companies and boards of directors, Mr Shivakumar defended the decision, saying there was nothing wrong with rewarding party workers who played a role in bringing the government to power. He added that similar precedents had been followed by the BJP in the past.

On civil administration, the Deputy Chief Minister said the state government has re-rolled the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to improve governance in the city and is going ahead with elections in accordance with court orders and directions. To allay concerns over revenue leakage, he said the government has undertaken large-scale digitization of municipal records, including scanning of documents and rollout of e-Khata system.

Mr Shivakumar said the Cauvery software has been implemented to prevent tax leakages and so far, data of around 25 million properties have been digitized while 9.5 million e-Khata documents have already been issued. Officials have been instructed to provide access to the application free of charge, he said, noting that many property owners were previously unaware of details regarding their own properties.

He further said that the process of converting B-Khata properties to A-Khata has begun, with around 7,000 applications received so far and more expected in the coming days. A period of 15 days has been set for completing the conversion process.

Rejecting criticism that development has slowed down in Bengaluru, the Deputy Chief Minister said several infrastructure works are currently underway, including whitewashing of roads covering a distance of 1,600 km, street lighting works and measures to improve traffic in the city.