Karnataka Government drops TDR proposal for Bengaluru Palace Grounds amid legal row

In a contentious move, the Karnataka Cabinet on Friday decided to issue an Ordinance withdrawing its earlier proposal to offer Transferable Development Rights (TDR) to acquire 15 acres and 17 guntas of the Bengaluru Palace Grounds. The land was earmarked for the widening of the congested Ballari Road and Jayamahal Road.

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This decision comes despite a Supreme Court directive asking the state to provide TDR to the erstwhile Mysore royal family for around 62,475.27 square meters of land, valued at ₹3,011.66 crores. While the acquisition process has been dropped, the state will issue TDR for 1,217.41 square meters of land already used for the Jayamahal underpass construction. The court determined the TDR value to be ₹2,83,500 per square meter for Ballari Road and ₹2,04,000 per square meter for Jayamahal Road based on current guideline values.

Through the Ordinance, the government has reserved the discretion to acquire or refrain from acquiring the land for road expansion, casting uncertainty over the road-widening projects.

The decision comes amidst an ongoing Supreme Court case, where members of the erstwhile Mysore royal family are challenging the validity of the Mysore Palace Acquisition and Transfer Act, 1996. The latest Cabinet move has added another layer of complexity to the legal dispute, raising questions about the future of critical infrastructure projects.