Will soon widen Ballari Road stretch: Govt

BENGALURU: The state government on Wednesday informed the Karnataka High Court that it has decided to take up work immediately to widen Ballari Road from Cauvery Junction to Mekhri Circle on the land which already belongs to it. It said the aim is to provide an alternative measure to ease traffic congestion until the issue of Transferable Development Right (TDR) pending before the Supreme Court is resolved.

An affidavit to this effect was filed before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Samarpana, a socio-cultural organisation, through advocate G R Mohan, seeking directions to widen the road.

The government also stated in the affidavit that it will consider constructing a flyover or an underpass to ease traffic snarls on that stretch of road and also explore alternative access to the various marriage halls and kalyan mantapas which add to the traffic congestion on the route.

The affidavit was filed by Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, who said that these decisions were taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on September 16, 2022.

Recording the submission, the court granted three weeks time to the state government to inform how and in what way the stretch of the proposed road will be widened as it was not specified in the affidavit.
Stating that it is taking measures to ease traffic congestion on the stretch of road from Kempegowda International Airport in a more scientific and technical basis, the government said a decision in this regard will be taken and placed before the court for consideration of other options.  

HEARING OF PLEAS AGAINST RESERVATION ADJOURNED TO SEPT 27
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday adjourned hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the notification issued by the Urban Development Department on reservation for 243 wards of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to September 27. Justice Hemant Chandangoudar adjourned the hearing after issuing notice to the state government and BBMP on fresh petitions filed against the reservation notification.

Final voter list
Senior advocate K N Phanindra, representing the State Election Commission, informed the court that they will publish the final voters’ list on September 29.