In a big boost to the Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR), the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has given environment clearance for the first phase of the project connecting Ramanagar to Dabaspet.
The move allows the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to take preliminary work, starting with the final notification for acquiring land for the six-lane road which has been declared as a National Highway (NH 948 A).
The 281 km-long roads will provide a bypass to Bengaluru for vehicles travelling on inter-state routes. Starting from Dabaspet, the road will pass via Hosakote and Ramanagar in the south from where it will turn north towards Dabaspet.
The STRR has been split into three phases. The first phase will start from Dabaspet and end at Ramanagar.
‘We received clearance from the MoEF recently. The final land acquisition notification will be issued within the next six months following which tenders will be floated for Phase 1,’ a senior NHAI official told DH.
The official said the first package of Phase 3, the 40-km stretch from Peddamadhagondapalli to Devarapalli, has already received all clearances. ‘We have issued a letter of acceptance to the firm Montecarlo with a two-year deadline. Works have been taken upon the ground,’ he added.
The main challenge for NHAI is the clearance for Phase 2, connecting Ramanagar to Belagondapalli, of which a stretch of 3.79 km passes through Mahadeshwara State Forest in Bannerghatta National Park (Anekal Wildlife Range).
The NHAI has sought to use 11 ha of the forest land, which has to be cleared by the MoEFF.
‘We have set 2025 as the deadline for completion of the project. There are nine packages and we will try to open them as and when each is completed,’ the official added.
