Bengaluru’s New Leap: The 117-km Business Corridor Set to Unclog City Traffic
Bengaluru’s 117-km Business Corridor project aims to decongest traffic, compensate affected families fairly, and transform the city into a major commercial and industrial hub within two years.
Bengaluru, often synonymous with gridlocks and relentless congestion, is preparing for a major infrastructural metamorphosis through the ambitious 117-km-long Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), now rebranded as the Bengaluru Business Corridor. Recently sanctioned by the Karnataka Cabinet, this long-awaited project, under the supervision of the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), is expected to reach completion within two years, marking a pivotal stride in the city’s mobility and economic landscape.
Announcing the initiative, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar described it as a “historic step” in easing the city’s traffic burden.
“Bengaluru is choking. We want the traffic to come down. I know about 1,900 families will be affected, but the government is offering more than what they are expecting as compensation. It's one of the biggest decisions of the Karnataka government,” he stated.
According to Shivakumar, the corridor potentially curtails city traffic by nearly 40 percent, redirecting vehicles traversing between highways and industrial hubs away from the urban core. The diversion, authorities believe, will bring substantial relief to commuters and enable smoother logistics for industries.
“If some landowners refuse to give land, we will deposit the compensation amount in court and proceed. No land will be de-notified at any cost,” he affirmed.
Initially pegged at Rs 27,000 crore, the project cost has now been streamlined to below Rs 10,000 crore, largely because more farmers have chosen land-based recompense instead of direct monetary payments.
This recalibration demonstrates fiscal prudence and equitable negotiation, hallmarks of pragmatic governance.
To resolve the decade-long land acquisition disputes, the state has unveiled a comprehensive five-option compensation framework:
Cash payout twice the guidance value for urban properties and thrice for rural ones within 5 km of city limits (as per October 2023 valuations).
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is worth double the guidance value, following the BBMP standards.
Additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR/FSI) privileges for residual lands adjoining the project stretch.
For those losing over half an acre in residential zones, 40 percent of developed land in nearby layouts is affected.
For commercial land losses, 35 percent of developed plots in the 35-metre-wide commercial corridor, with smaller owners compensated monetarily.
The project is envisioned to unlock vast swathes of underutilized land, inviting investors, entrepreneurs, and logistics pioneers, thus cementing Bengaluru’s reputation as a synergistic nexus of innovation and enterprise.
