The proposed elevated corridor, which will criss cross the city through 102 km, will affect as many as 1,131 properties and require a total of 56.89 hectares of land, according to the environmental impact assessment report prepared by Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL) as part the final feasibility report on the much-hyped project.
The report, which was made public recently, states that the identified properties include 209 residential, 577 commercial, and 32 religious structures. The KRDCL will be spending ₹11,555 crore to acquire the properties.
As per the report, of the 56.89 ha of land needed for the project, 17.76 ha is owned by private parties.
Apart from this, 33.52 ha of land owned by the State government, 2.54 ha of defence land, and 3.07 ha of land owned by the Union government will be needed for the project.
The State government has given its approval to take up the project in four phases and tenders have been floated for building the 22-km north-south corridor from Baptist Hospital to Silk Board.
The alignment of the elevated corridors will be for two/four/six lanes, depending on the requirement and the availability of space. The width may vary from 18 m to 62 m.
The project has been a bone of contention between sections of citizens and the government, and a recent protest against it saw a massive turnout.
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who later met with citizens’ representatives, assured them of public consultations for the project.
Vertical gardens proposed
The elevated corridor project will see as many as 3,716 trees being axed. Among the measures mentioned in the environmental impact assessment report for making up for the loss of green cover is the creation of vertical gardens.
The proposed project has been criticised from environmentalists and sections of citizens for the impact it will have on tree-lined avenues of the city. They have also alleged that the project will only promote use of private vehicles.
The report, prepared by the KRDCL as part the final feasibility report, states that the 102-km elevated corridor will have 2,751 pillars with a total area of 64,820 sq. m. Vertical gardens will not only increase greenery along the corridor, but will also help absorb air pollutants and dust, thus reducing the impact of obnoxious gases significantly, it states.
The report identifies “sensitive wooded stretches” in the city which will get affected, such as Cubbon Park/Kasturba Road, Palace Grounds/Jayamahal Road, IISc. campus to Mehkri Circle, C.V. Raman Road, and others. Over 850 trees will either get axed or be trimmed on these stretches.
To compensate for the loss, the report states that trees cleared shall be replaced with a minimum of 10 trees per tree cut or according to the Compensatory Afforestation Policy under the Forest Conservation Act 1980. The report also talks about transplanting around 600 trees.
“Vertical gardens will be proposed on the pillars of the elevated corridor, similar to vertical gardens developed by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation near Rangoli Art Centre next to M.G. Road metro station using hydroponics technology,” states the report.
However, the BMRCL, which had taken up the work on a pilot basis, is yet to replicate it elsewhere.
Waterbodies adjacent to alignment
The environmental impact assessment report has identified 12 lakes and ‘raja kaluves’ where the proposed elevated alignment runs very close to the waterbodies. For example, at K.R. Puram lake, the pier foundation will be at a distance of 20 m, and at Ulsoor and Varthur lakes it will at a distance of 5 m.
“There is a possible impact on the waterbodies such as K.R. Puram lake, Ulsoor lake, and Agara lake. As the east-west corridor alignment passes over Ulsoor lake, and two piers may have to be established within the waterbody and the lake may get affected by the construction activities if proper precautions are not taken. This can be avoided by careful planning of the construction methodology to avoid the spill of the soil and debris into the waterbody. Construction works shall not be taken up during monsoon season,” states the report.
Close to historical structures
The KRDCL will have to obtain permission of the Archaeological Survey of India prior to taking up one of the lines of east-west corridor (from Varthur to Mysuru Road at Sirsi Circle). Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, a protected monument, is within a distance of 100 m from the proposed corridor. Another structure, Bangalore Fort, is at a distance of 330 m.
‘Prominent benefits’
The report also lists out the benefits of the project, including establishing connectivity to major major arterial roads such as Ballari Road, Hosur Road, Hoskote Road, Tumakuru Road, Mysuru Road, and Sarjapur Road. “Implementation of the proposed elevated corridor project will help in segregating the fast-moving long-distance traffic without interrupting the slow-moving neighbourhood traffic and will contribute to increasing speed of at-grade traffic movement,” states the report.
