The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Deviations in BMIC alignment noted

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Sunday, Jul 08, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Deviations in BMIC alignment noted

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Five instances of deviation in alignment in the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project were noted by the Karnataka State Environment Authority, which inspected the Mysore Road-Hosur Road stretch of the 47-km peripheral ring road project to link Hosur Road and Tumkur road.

The authority is hearing an appeal by the BMIC promoter, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), which wants the September 2006 order of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) withdrawing consent for the project quashed.

The Chairman of the authority, H.N. Narayana, and the two members, B.N. Thyagaraja and Lawrence Surendra, began their inspection at the Mysore Road junction, where the first instance of violation as pointed out by officials of the Public Works Department, was the ramp at the junction for which clearance was not obtained. The bridge going over Mysore Road too was built without obtaining consent, the authority was told.

At Sompura village, where the clover leaf formation connects to Kanakapura Road and Bannerghatta Road, it was brought to their notice that nearly 50 per cent of the Hemmigepura tank had been encroached upon and used for construction of the road in violation of the High Court order that prohibits any development activity in and around water bodies in Bangalore. A good portion of the nearby Varahasandra tank too had been appropriated for the road project.

Alignment

The Bangalore-based NGO Environment Support Group, which has compiled a detailed report of the deviations, brought maps to show the original alignment and the altered alignment, which the authority examined. It was at Gottigere tank that Mr. Narayana took a lot of time to go into details of the alignment. A deviation of at least 1.5 km has been reported, and it has been noted in the Karnataka High Court too that the promoters ought to have built the road on pillars standing in the tank, instead of which, nearly half of the lake has been filled up, and the road built on the tank itself.

The KSPCB had cited this as one of the main reasons from withdrawing consent in September 2006.

Residents of the villages abutting the Gottigere tank complained that the deviations were eating into the lands belonging to them. The Vasantapura tank, which was never in the alignment, has also been encroached upon, the authority was informed.

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