Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday revealed that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) will be allotting sites to land losers for the Shivaram Karanth Layout and selling flats built in Whitefield.

He said that as many as 3,052 landowners had given their land for the Shivaram Karanth Layout (S.K. Layout) and that there were several complications, including cases where multiple owners had sold their properties to others.

“With court permission, 18,000 sites are now being allotted to landowners. They may take possession of the sites from May 15. A software developed through the central e-governance system has been used for the allotment,” he said.

“Special provision has been made for owners who had 1, 2 or more acres of land. For those who wanted a single large site, we had promised to accommodate them, but only 7 people applied for it. For one acre of land, a single site of 9,583 sq. ft. would be given. This arrangement facilitates high-rise construction,” he explained.

BDA flats

Mr. Shivakumar announced that about 1,900 new flats have been built in Whitefield. “A 1-BHK flat of 760 sq. ft. is being offered at ₹6,686 per sq. ft. Applications will be accepted from May 15. A 3-BHK flat of 1,733 sq. ft. is being offered at ₹8,309 per sq. ft., totalling ₹1.44 crore,” he said.

Further, speaking about infrastructure projects, he said that traffic congestion exists in Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai as well. “We have eased some pressure near Hebbal and are continuing to streamline further,” he said.

“Work on constructing a short tunnel connecting Hebbal Junction to the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) will start soon. A three-lane cut-and-cover tunnel will be built, with a total of six lanes. The tunnel will be 2.2 km long. This project has been awarded to Rutvik Tunnels and must be completed within 18 months,” he said.

Near Mekhri Circle, a 1.7 km elevated corridor with four lanes will also be built. The foundation stone-laying ceremony for both projects will be held by the end of this month, he noted.

He further reiterated projects such as Phase 1 of the Bengaluru Business Corridor, for which 80% of the land acquisition has already been completed, and the opening of the Major Arterial Road (MAR), passing through the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, spanning 10.77 km. The MAR, built at a cost of ₹631 crore, will be inaugurated within the next 15 days, he said.

On the occasion of Kempegowda Jayanti and the BDA completing 50 years, about 15 lakh saplings will be planted across Bengaluru under a programme titled “Green Bengaluru”, according to Mr. Shivakumar. The event will be held on June 27. He further said that about 150 schemes have been planned, and all announcements will follow in the next 15 days.

These announcements coincide with the possibility of long-pending civic elections possibly taking place in the city this year. While the Karnataka State Election Commission had earlier stated that civic polls in Bengaluru would be held between June 14 and 24, it has recently filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking an extension until September 30 to conduct the polls, following a request from officials in the State government.