Deal on Defence land soon?

Bengaluru: In 2012, when the BBMP announced a railway overbridge at Byappanhalli level crossing, thousands of commuters had believed their traffic woes would be eased to great extent. Cut to 2015, the project, caught in land acquisition tussle between the state government and Defence, remains a half-hanging bridge.

With Chief Secretary Aravind Jhadav now directing Urban Development Department additional chief secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar to form a co-ordination committee to resolve land acquisition issues, many infrastructure projects that had hit a dead end will soon be revived. Bhaskar told Deccan Chronicle that the committee, which will arrive at a consensus to exchange government land for Defence’s, will have representatives from Revenue Department, Forest Department, Defence and other government agencies.

He said, “There is a demand for 38 acres of land from the BBMP, while the BDA needs 12 acres of land for completion of various infrastructure projects. Many projects like the railway overbridge in Byappanahalli were stalled midway as the government needs the permission of the Defence department to complete it.

During a meeting, this project was discussed and we have identified a portion of land to exchange with the Defence, so that the project is completed at the earliest. Similarly, the Revenue Department has identified 206 acres of land in various places to exchange with the Defence.” Since the state government needs 50 acres of Defence land, Bhaskar said that the committee will review the identified 206 acres of land and decide what will be given away.

Meanwhile, Mayor Manjunath Reddy said that there were several demands for completion of overbridge near K.R. Puram, road widening in Yelahanka and construction of skywalk near Hebbal towards Kempegowda International Airport. He said, “These proposals have been pending for years. Despite MLAs, former mayors and BBMP commissioners meeting the Defence personnel, we have been unable to convince them to allow us complete our projects. We hope the committee will make a head start.”

Keep your promise!
Urban planning expert Ashwin Mahesh observed that the Defence personnel have been unwilling to cooperate with the state government because the government had lost its credibility. “Many promises to exchange lands are made, but never kept. However, comprising a committee is a welcome move and should help in completion of projects,” he said. Mahesh highlighted that the law which dictates that Central government land cannot be acquired should be removed, as many such lands located in the heart of the city hampered infrastructure development.