Karnataka CM Meets Rajnath Singh, Seeks Armed Forces Contingents for Mysuru Dasara, Raises 7 Land Issues

NEW DELHI, Sep 28: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and sought the participation of contingents from the Army, Navy and Air Force in the tableaux and ceremonial programmes of this year’s Mysuru Dasara.

Shivakumar also requested an air show as part of the festival, which is scheduled to be held on October 21. He said the Defence Ministry had responded positively to the proposals.

During the meeting, the chief minister also sought the ministry’s intervention in resolving seven pending matters involving defence land that are linked to major infrastructure and development projects in Bengaluru.

Shivakumar acknowledged the Defence Ministry’s cooperation with the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the five Bengaluru City Corporations and other urban local bodies, while requesting faster clearances for the pending proposals.

One of the issues concerns nearly 730 acres of defence land near the Iblur Firing Range. The state government has proposed converting the area into a permanent public park and urban green space.

The chief minister said the proposed development would be restricted to public park use without any commercial activity, while ownership of the property would remain with the defence authorities.

Another matter involves 10 notified slums spread across around 43.838 acres of defence land. Shivakumar said the state was finding it difficult to identify land of equivalent value within Bengaluru and had therefore proposed transferring government property of an equal area at another location.

He also sought immediate permission to undertake repairs and redevelopment in the affected settlements, particularly in view of flooding caused by monsoon rains.

The chief minister further raised restrictions on building heights around defence and aviation installations. He requested a review of the existing restrictions within a 20-km radius of HAL Airport and Air Force Station Yelahanka, while maintaining flight safety requirements.

He also proposed reducing the area within which a mandatory no-objection certificate is required to a 15-km radius from the aerodrome reference point.

Another proposal relates to the Bellandur Lake Road project, for which the state has sought defence land to construct a 24-metre-wide road connecting Lower Agaram Road near the government hospital with Sarjapur Road through Ejipura Junction.

The proposed corridor is expected to strengthen connectivity between eastern and southern Bengaluru and ease traffic pressure on the Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. Since the project has already been tendered and awarded, the state has requested early permission to commence work.

For the proposed Bengaluru Urban Vehicular Twin Tunnel Project, the state has sought 2.039 acres of defence land for a ramp near Hebbal. It has also requested permission for the tunnel to pass underneath defence areas near Mekhri Circle without affecting the surface land.

The state has opposed a proposed licence fee equivalent to 33 per cent of the land value, estimated at Rs 60.72 crore, and has requested that the rate be brought down to 2 per cent.

Shivakumar also sought 6.837 acres of defence land for an 18-metre wide link road connecting Airport Road, also known as Bellary Road, with Sarovara Layout. According to the state, the proposed alignment has been planned to avoid interference with defence activities.

The seventh issue concerns the widening of an existing two lane stretch of Bellary Road at Mekhri Circle. The Greater Bengaluru Authority has requested 0.775 acres of land belonging to the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) to expand the road to three lanes and ease congestion at the important junction leading towards the airport.

Shivakumar urged the Defence Ministry to expedite decisions on all seven proposals, saying their resolution would facilitate infrastructure development, improve connectivity and support Bengaluru’s planned urban expansion.