An underpass to nowhere at Kanteerava Studio junction in Bengaluru

With an aim to make ORR signal-free, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) was tasked with building a flyover and an underpass at the Kanteerava Studio junction, just a few metres away from the memorial to matinee idol Rajkumar and his son Puneeth Rajkumar.

The mouth of a half-finished underpass at the crucial Kanteerava Studio junction on Outer Ring Road (ORR) is now closed with mud to prevent motorists from going into what seems like a tunnel to nowhere. This measure was taken as the structure can potentially turn into a death trap when it rains. While the underpass has a down ramp from the Tumakuru Road side, it doesn’t come up at the other end in front of Kanteerava Studio owing to land acquisition tangles. This has been the status for at least five years now. 

“Earlier, the underpass down ramp was left open, and we have seen multiple unsuspecting motorists drive into the pit. There were a few accidents as well. A few years ago, civic officials closed the entrance of the pit to prevent motorists going into it,” said Siddaraju, an attendant at a petrol bunk near the circle. 

With an aim to make ORR signal-free, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) was tasked with building a flyover and an underpass at the Kanteerava Studio junction, just a few metres away from the memorial to matinee idol Rajkumar and his son Puneeth Rajkumar.

The BDA gave a “turn-key” contract for the civil works at a cost of ₹47.47 crore in 2016. While there was no need for land acquisition for the flyover, the agency marked 20,000 sqm of a total of 43 properties on the Kanteerava Studio side for acquisition for the underpass. 

The work on the flyover was completed in 2019 and opened to the public. By then, the contractor had completed work on one arm of the underpass, which did not require any land acquisition. However, the BDA had not acquired the required land to finish work on the other arm. It hasn’t been done till date and the project is stuck. 

The project ran into troubles with land acquisition as the estimated cost when the project started was ₹37 crore, but property owners did not agree with the compensation amount. BDA sources said that there were multiple proposals considered, including giving alternative sites to land losers. 

“In 2020, the State Government even asked the BDA to hand over the project to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). But in 2022, the BDA board decided to finish the project and to provide cash compensation to land losers. Now, the estimated cost of land acquisition has risen to ₹80 crore. Of the 43 properties to be acquired, we have given compensation to owners of eight properties, acquired them, and demolished a few buildings. We are in the process of acquiring other properties. Once that is completed, the underpass project will be completed,” a senior BDA official said.