Road Widening hits a road block?

As compared to BBMP's useless TDR, BMRCL is offering Rs 38,216 per sqM for residential and Rs 48,000 per sqM for commercial land in the Basavanagudi area, making for per sqft rates of Rs 3,552 and Rs 4,461 resply, or per 60 x 40 site rates of Rs 85.25 lakhs and Rs 1.07 cr resply, which most property owners seem willing to accept. Check this.

But, that kind of a pricing is certainly not affordable to BBMP. And, neither is TDR acceptable to the citizens. Perhaps the answer lies here.

But, for that, we can't have a situation where we don't have the services of professional urban planners - check this. The answer again may lie in outsourcing such jobs to professional companies like this, whose services are now beginning to be engaged by quite a few states in the country. The interesting part is that they are Bangalore based, and have already submitted a pilot proposal for a stretch of the city's Peripheral Ring Road project, where it intersects the Bellary road, based on the re-constitution approach. However, last heard, it's still gathering dust in some BDA/ BMRDA office.

Also read quotes from Abide members today that they don't recommend road widening. Another 'advisor' to govt on traffic, Mr Sreehari too has been quoted to be against large scale road widening.

So if the 'advisors' are indeed not advising on these, who really is?

BBMP should circulate a vision document of sorts to tell us where they are taking us. To give them (their engineers) a chance, there might be a plan that we are not able to see. With a clear plan/vision document, we may be able to at least do some reason based debates with them.

I did ask 'someone' in BBP/BDA, and they pointed to last year's Abide blueprint. But papers are carrying quotes from Abide members saying they are opposed. And there is nothing on BBMP website that we can find.

So clearly,

• Either the BJP govt is doing something that it things is going to bring it more votes, or
• Some contractor stands to gain and is lobbying for widening, or
• People who say "I am oppoed' in public, are doing otherwise behind closed doors. Hope not.

Any estimate on how much is the total value of all road widening projects combined? If its not sizable, then we stand some chance of convinving BBMP or Katta to not do it.

This seems to be ABIDe's presentation: link. 

They actually don't mention wholescale widening in there. But they mention some 10 or so arterial roads to be made 6-lane etc.

@idontspam,

They may be saying that, but it will be very difficult if the people who are losing their properties (or part of their properties) people refuse to cooperate. And if a lot of other people too join in, then they may have no option but to rethink.

 Looks like Ashoks govt is different from Kattas govt.