E-Paper
New Bengaluru Business Corridor promises faster travel, less traffic. Here’s the route
At Karnataka Cabinet meeting, DK Shivakumar called the project a “historic step” for Bengaluru’s future.
The Karnataka government has given the green light to a massive infrastructure push, the 117-km Bengaluru Business Corridor, a rebranded version of the long-delayed Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project.
The corridor, designed to decongest the city’s choking traffic and boost connectivity, will link Tumakuru Road to Mysuru Road via Yelahanka and Electronic City, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced on Thursday.
Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Shivakumar called the project a “historic step” for Bengaluru’s future, news agency ANI reported.
(Also Read: Written agreements, minimum wages: What’s in Karnataka’s draft Domestic Workers Bill)
“The erstwhile Peripheral Ring Road project has been renamed the Bengaluru Business Corridor and approved. The government is rewriting history with such a major infrastructure initiative,” he said, adding that landowners will be offered four compensation options.
The proposed corridor will cover 73 km in North Bengaluru and the rest in the South, with a total estimated project cost of ₹27,000 crore, to be financed through a loan from HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited). Shivakumar said the previous government had failed to move the project forward despite earlier notifications. “Bengaluru needs an alternative to NICE Road. We have now decided to proceed with a HUDCO loan of ₹27,000 crore,” he said.
The new plan also revises the road’s dimensions, the corridor will be 65 meters wide, comparable to the Bengaluru–Mysuru highway, and will include a 5-meter provision for a future metro line. The remaining 35 meters of acquired land will be returned to farmers as part of compensation, he added.
Explaining the compensation model, Shivakumar said landowners could opt for twice the market value, or 40% developed land in BDA layouts if they prefer not to take commercial plots. “If some landowners refuse to part with their land, the compensation amount will be deposited in court, and the project will continue,” he said, emphasizing that no land will be de-notified.
The project, expected to be completed in two years, aims to reduce city traffic by up to 40%, diverting vehicles that would otherwise pass through central Bengaluru. While the Deputy CM declined to comment on toll rates, he confirmed that “no road can operate without tolls.”
On cost revisions, Shivakumar said the project’s effective cost could fall below ₹10,000 crore if more farmers choose land compensation. He also attributed past delays to a lack of political will. “This project was gathering dust for two decades. I’ve given LK Atheeq the responsibility to ensure it’s completed quickly,” he said.
Responding to allegations from Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy about a ₹15,000 crore scam in the B Khata to A Khata conversion, Shivakumar remarked, “Good for him. Let him deploy his investigation team to check.”
On a separate issue, he confirmed that the state caste census is being redone as the previous data was outdated. “It was done 10 years ago; we’re redoing it to ensure justice for all. We’ve already declared a school holiday for the survey, and it cannot be extended further,” he said.
(Also Read: Written agreements, minimum wages: What’s in Karnataka’s draft Domestic Workers Bill)
(With ANI inputs)
