Hope Ballari road will be widened within a year: High Court.

‘We trust and hope that widening of the stretch of Ballari road between BDA junction and Mehkri Circle will be completed within a year’. This is how the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday made known what it expects from the BBMP and State government in easing traffic congestion on this busy road, which connects the city’s central business district with the northern parts as well as the international airport.

Interestingly, the State government had a few years ago approached the Supreme Court, where litigation against the Bangalore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1996 is pending since 1997, seeking to widen the road adjoining the Palace Grounds, Ramana Maharshi Road [Ballari road] and Jayamahal Road.

The government had said that it would compensate the land-losers as per the rate prevailing when the palace acquisition law was passed. However, on November 21, 2014, the Supreme Court had directed the government to issue a TDR certificate as per the TDR rules to owners of the palace properties.

Last year, a PIL was filed by A.V. Amaranathan before the High Court pointing out the difficulties faced on the narrow stretch. The court had then orally termed travelling on this stretch a ‘nightmare in daytime’.

However, the court disposed the PIL after the State said that it wanted to seek clarification from the apex court on the confusion over granting TDRs.

In February this year, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath sought to know the action initiated for widening the road while hearing the present PIL, filed by Vijayan Menon and others, seeking improvement of city roads.

While the BBMP had said that it is prepared to widen the road if the government grants permission, the government had maintained that it would seek clarification from the apex court.

When the matter came up for hearing, the government counsel said that TDR could not be issued as yet although the order was passed two years ago, as the government was contemplating revising the TDR rules and the zoning areas.

However, the Bench did not agree with the government’s stand and observed that the order of the Supreme Court was to issue TDR certificate as per the existing rules.

THE HINDU