Bangalore Business Corridor PRR-1 Row Deepens as Farmers Petition Governor to Scrap Project

The Bengaluru Development Authority's Bangalore Business Corridor (Peripheral Ring Road-1) project has once again come under debate, with officials and farmers taking opposite stands.

BBC SPV Chairman I.K. Ateeq said the project will help ease traffic congestion in North Bengaluru and assured that farmers giving up land will receive fair compensation. He said five options have been prepared for landowners, which include cash compensation, developed residential or commercial land, Transferable Development Rights (TDR), or Floor Area Ratio (FAR) benefits.

As per the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, compensation will be twice the guideline value in urban areas and three times in rural areas. Ateeq said the alternatives like developed plots or TDR could be more beneficial than cash in the long run, as land value is likely to increase once the project is completed. Farmers who had requested 9,583 sq ft per acre in a 60:40 residential-commercial ratio will now receive 8,385 sq ft per acre in a 65:35 ratio as compensation.

However, many farmers and site owners are opposing the plan. Members of the PRR Farmers and Site Owners Association have petitioned Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to step in and cancel the project. They allege that the scheme has lost its legal standing since the BDA did not issue awards or take possession of land within five years of the original notification issued in June 2007.

Association president Mavalipura B. Srinivas said the BDA is still following the old 1894 Land Acquisition Act while other government agencies like BMRCL and NHAI have adopted the 2013 Act, which provides better compensation and safeguards. He also pointed out that the project has not yet received key approvals such as a Detailed Project Report (DPR), Social Impact Assessment (SIA), or clearance from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

With farmers rejecting the compensation options and questioning the legality of the process, the project's future remains uncertain even as BDA officials plan to hold further discussions in November.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said the BJP supports the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, calling it vital for the city's long-term mobility, but will continue opposing the proposed ₹47,000-crore tunnel road. After meeting Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, Surya said, "We'll back PRR, but the Bengaluru tunnel road will not solve Bengaluru's traffic problem." He urged the government to drop the plan entirely and instead focus on improving public transport and expediting Metro and suburban rail projects. Surya called the discussion a "constructive bipartisan effort" to prioritise the city over politics.