Residents of Baichakuppe village near Tavarekere are crying foul over the alignment of the Intermediate Ring Road (IRR) circumventing the city. They allege that Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA) has changed the alignment of IRR, which was half-a-kilometre away from the village in the initial alignment. Now, they allege that as per the new alignment, the road runs through the village.
Kale Gowda, a resident, said that the initial survey conducted had the IRR passing 0.5 km away from the village. “This would have led to the acquisition of land where realtors have come up with residential apartment complexes. The Comprehensive Development Plan 2013 published later had a different alignment of the road and now it passes through the village,” he alleged.
If the alignment remains unchanged, two ancient temples of the village and Baichakuppe lake spread across 2.26 acres will be destroyed as the road passes through the land on which they stand. Residents allege that the said land lies in the green belt and the destruction of the Baichakuppe lake will disturb the delicate eco-system of feeder canals to Tippagondanahalli reservoir.
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B.H. Muniraju, a resident, said that they were running from pillar to post for many years and they had also approached the Lokayukta but in vain.
The officials in BMRDA directed them to the Public Works Department (PWD), which again redirected them to BMRDA. Conceding that village residents had approached BMRDA, the authority’s Additional Commissioner Gangadharaswamy claimed that the issue would be sorted out when the project is implemented.