Bengaluru: Road widening plans afoot in Mekhri Circle

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday instructed the State government to permit the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) to undertake road widening works from the BDA office junction on Bellary Road to Mekhri Circle in Bengaluru.

In the next four weeks’ time, TDR (Transfer Development Rights) certificates shall be handed over to landowners who give up their land for road widening works. 

The issue began after Vijay Menon had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), wherein he sought redressal for dense traffic congestion on Mekhri Circle on Bellary Road that creates traffic hassles for commuters.

Hearing the petition, the Bench comprising of Chief Justice SK Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath had instructed the state government to permit the BBMP to take up road widening works by issuing TDR certificates to those landowners who give up their lands or plots to facilitate road widening. They asked the government to carry out works in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling and in accordance with existing regulations related to road development works.

Moreover, the court instructed the BBMP to complete the road widening works within one year, after getting the nod from the government.

The Supreme Court had ordered on 2 November 2014 that TDR should be given to property owners who give up their land or plot for road widening works. The BBMP had also submitted a proposal in this regard. The High Court question why the required permissions were not accorded to BBMP and TDR given to landowners despite these clearances by the courts.

• Public works