The ambitious project of Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, which is expected to connect the two cities within 90 minutes is to be delayed further. The construction of the highways is facing huge problems especially from a group of property owners who have already been heavily compensated.
As per the sources, the work has come to a standstill over the last 10 days in many segments of the route especially at Bidadi and Mandya.
Approximately, Rs 7000 crores project has been undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India and has been divided into two parts: 56.2 km from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta and 61 km from Nidaghatta to Mysuru.
Initially, the project faced major problems especially for the land acquisition from the forest department and private landowners. But most of the land was acquired by April 2018.
On 14th May 2019, the construction work finally began by the outsourced contractor for Phase-I which has a deadline till November 2021. The Phase-I project’s main components are the 4.42 km elevated highway and two bypass roads at Bidadi and Ramanagara.
A source confirmed that Rs 2,190 crores were the cost of construction while Rs 1,594 crores were used in land acquisition. The Competent Authority of land Acquisition has already paid the landowners up to Rs 1,230 crores.
The bypass roads play a major role in the project.
The source also confirmed that the land comprising of over 200 survey numbers has been acquired from 500 villages to put together the 6 km of Bidadi bypass road. In 99% of the cases, the landowners have been paid handsome money three times more than the market value of the land. Around two months back the construction work had begun peacefully. However, few of the landowners now feel they should get more compensation which is around four times more than the actual value.
Another source added that the construction work is stopped for over a week now. Group of landowners starts protesting as soon as they see any construction work taking place. The workers begin their work every day but are forced to stop.
The project also needs a little bit of twitching in its design. The villagers are requesting for more underpasses. The original plan lacks bus bays and thus any bus shelters proposed needs to be converted to bus bays.
A similar problem is taking place for the Phase-II where landowners from three villages- Indavallu, Sundahalli, and Kelenahalli- in Mandya district and Gejjalagere in Madur Taluk are refusing to give away their properties.
Unless the state government intervenes and provides some kind of protection, the work has to undergo major delays.