Bengaluru’s PRR project stalls again as landowners demand 2013 law compensation

Compensation disputes, legal hurdles, and farmer protests threaten to delay the much-awaited Peripheral Ring Road project meant to ease Bengaluru’s traffic woes.

The ambitious Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project or the Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC), aimed at connecting Hosur Road and Tumakuru Road to decongest Bengaluru, has once again run into trouble. The Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) requires 2,557 acres across 77 villages for the 74-km corridor, but land acquisition has stalled as landowners reject compensation terms.

Also Read:DCM DK Shivakumar rules out land denotification for Bengaluru’s PRR project

BDA has offered Rs 4.5 crore per acre, citing the outdated 1894 Land Acquisition Act and its own 1976 Act. However, farmers insist on payouts under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, which ensures higher values, rehabilitation, and resettlement measures. Activists allege the guideline rate is Rs 5.5 crore per acre and accuse BDA of undervaluing land.

Despite 18 rounds of consultations since August 11, the deadlock continues. Landowners have listed clear demands: halt acquisition until re-notification under the 2013 law, revise compensation with expert representation, ensure rehabilitation in their villages, and guarantee one government job per displaced family.

Also Read:BDA gets nod to develop six layouts along 53-km PRR-2; largest over 4,200 acres on kanakapura

The project has already seen two decades of delays since acquisition proceedings began in 2005. Although the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling exempted BDA from using the 2013 Act, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar has assured that higher compensation and Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) may be considered.

But with landowners threatening a legal battle, Bengaluru’s long-pending PRR Phase-1 remains uncertain, prolonging hopes of traffic relief for lakhs of commuters.

Also Read:

1.BDA acquires 5,755 acres for Kempegowda Layout expansion in Bengaluru

2.BDA puts 184 developed sites across Bengaluru up for e-auction