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Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced that the state government will establish 'Walls of Gratitude' to honour landowners who voluntarily part with their land for public welfare projects, saying their contribution would be permanently commemorated.
Speaking at the 517th Kempegowda Jayanti celebrations at the Bengaluru Development Authority's (BDA) Kempegowda Layout, Shivakumar said the names of landowners who give up land without objections for projects such as industrial areas, schools, lakes and roads would be inscribed on the memorial. "The government has decided to include the names of landowners who give up land without objections for projects like industrial areas, schools, lakes and road construction on a Wall of Gratitude. Through this, the sacrifice of these landowners will be commemorated," he said. The Chief Minister also inaugurated a 10-lane road named after former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna and said it would eventually be extended into a 123-km corridor. He said a Wall of Gratitude would be built along the road to preserve the names of those who had contributed land for the project. Paying tribute to landowners, Shivakumar said their contribution would be remembered for generations and added that the initiative would be replicated in other infrastructure projects. As part of efforts to build a "green Bengaluru", the Chief Minister said the BDA planted 15 lakh saplings on the occasion of Kempegowda Jayanti. He also announced a tree-planting competition for schools under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, under which students would plant and nurture trees in designated areas. Shivakumar further announced that a Kempegowda Study Centre would be established at Bengaluru University. He said 9.5 acres of land had been provided for the centre and that a Rs 10 crore development programme was being undertaken at Huthridurga. Recalling former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna's contributions, he said, "It was S.M. Krishna who built Arkavathi Layout, Kempegowda Layout, Shivaram Karanth Layout, and Vikasa Soudha." Speaking on infrastructure, the Chief Minister said work on the 123-km Bengaluru Business Corridor was progressing, and tenders had been called. He added that landowners affected by the project would be given options of 35 per cent commercial land, 40 per cent residential land or Transferable Development Rights (TDR). He also said work on a shorter tunnel road near Hebbal would begin in the coming days as part of measures to ease traffic congestion in Bengaluru. (ANI)
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