The Railways has given the green signal for Phase One of the much-awaited suburban rail link between Whitefield and Byappanahalli, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said here on Wednesday.
Railway officials have informed the government that Phase One is feasible for implementation.
“I have asked the Railways to submit a report to the government in two to three days. The report will be placed before the state Cabinet and an appropriate decision will be taken,” the minister told
reporters.
A study conducted by RITES recently on behalf of the state government has also found the project feasible. The project cost is proposed to be shared equally by the state and the Railways. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently submitted a memorandum to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, seeking approval, he added.
Phase One will also include a stretch linking Mandya with Jnanabharati in Kengeri. The government is planning to integrate the suburban rail with Namma Metro at Jnanabharati and Byappanahalli.
However, Railway officials have found Phase Two of the project between Tumakuru and Yeshwanthpur not feasible due to heavy traffic, he said.
Renewal of old TDRs
The minister said the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) in Bengaluru will be reissued in line with the provisions of the proposed new TDR scheme.
He said the government is consulting the law department on the procedure to be followed for reissue of TDR. Under the old scheme, value of a TDR was fixed at 1.5 times the total land acquired.
But, under the proposed new scheme, the value will be 2 times the total land to be acquired. So, all old TDRs have to be reissued, he added.
Value of land
Under the new scheme, the TDRs would be linked to the guidance value of land in order to prevent misuse, unlike the old TDR scheme.
Misuse was rampant under the old scheme. Besides, hundreds of fake TDR certificates were issued, making the scheme unpopular, he said. The government is now taking all precautions to prevent misuse of the new scheme.
Separate TDR for B’luru
George said the government proposes to have separate rules for implementing TDR scheme in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits and other Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the state. “We cannot have uniform rules for all ULBs.
Bengaluru has to have separate rules. The government will take an appropriate decision in this regard,” he added.
TDR scheme
The government has already amended the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act to introduced new TDR scheme. It is currently in the process of finalising rules to implement the scheme, which is meant for acquiring land in urban areas for infrastructure projects such as road widening.
DH News Service