Palike moves to acquire land for Whitefield-Hope Farm corridor

 The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has started the process of building a signal-free corridor from Whitefield to Hope Farm.

BBMP will also build a flyover near the Varthur waste weir. The Palike has issued notices to owners of properties that will be acquired for widening the road from Whitefield to Hope Farm.

BBMP chief engineer B S Prahallad told DH: “We want to build a 45 metre-wide road from Varthur lake waste weir to Hope Farm. We will build a flyover too near Hope Farm.”

He said the Palike will take up the project by acquiring private properties. “TDRs were issued in the past and now, acquisition process will be speeded up,’’ he said.

On the flyover, he said a deck slab will be built to cover the major stormwater drain at Hope Farm. The cost of the project is Rs 28 crore, he added.

Regular traffic jams and increased air pollution have prompted the BBMP to speed up the long-pending project. Zibi Jamal, a member of Whitefield Rising, said she has heard about the BBMP issuing notices to property owners to acquire land for road widening.

Residents of Whitefield and those who commute everyday on the stretch from Whitefield to Hope Farm had staged demonstrations in the past to press the government and the BBMP to initiate measures to ease traffic congestion and check pollution.