The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to re-examine the Bengaluru–Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, observing that the ambitious plan to decongest Bengaluru has failed to materialise even after more than three decades. The court said the project, originally conceived in the mid-1990s, has largely “remained only on paper” and that continuing with it in its present form serves no meaningful purpose.
A Division Bench of Justices DK Singh and Venkatesh Naik T made these observations while dismissing a petition, filed by a landowner in 2010, seeking additional compensation for land acquired for the project on January 9. While ruling against the petitioner, the bench undertook an extensive review of the history and execution of the BMIC project and expressed serious concern over its prolonged stagnation.
Referring to the original objective of the project, the court noted that it was envisioned as a large-scale public infrastructure initiative aimed at easing traffic congestion in Bengaluru and facilitating the development of five satellite townships between Bengaluru and Mysuru. However, the bench remarked, “The ambitious project of such a public interest to decongest the city and to develop new satellite township has remained only on papers. Not even a single township has been developed in the last 35 years."
The court added that the project was a classic example of the lack of commitment to public planning by those in authority, attributing it to factors such as large-scale corruption, bureaucratic hurdles, and ongoing litigation.
The court pointed out that despite the passage of over 25 years, only one kilometre of the proposed 111-km expressway has been constructed. “No purpose would be served for keeping the project alive when, in more than 25 years, only one kilometre has been constructed,” the bench said, adding that it would be “in the interest of the city, citizens, environment and the future, to re-look at the project and take appropriate action for fresh and new project discarding the old one.”
The judges also highlighted the scale of litigation generated by the stalled project, noting that more than 2,000 cases related to the BMIC are currently pending before various courts. Lamenting this outcome, the bench observed, “This project, instead of de-clogging and decongesting the city… has clogged and congested the High Court and other courts.”
The High Court further noted that while the expressway itself remains incomplete, peripheral roads and toll plazas have been constructed, allowing the project proponents to collect tolls. The bench remarked that the proponents were sitting on a “huge land bank,” even as there was “no sign” of the expressway being completed in the foreseeable future.
Recalling the project’s origins, the court said the Project Technical Report prepared in 1995 had projected Bengaluru’s population to grow significantly and proposed satellite townships to manage that growth. However, the bench observed that the city’s population has now crossed 1.4 crore, while the infrastructure envisioned under the BMIC has failed to keep pace. “The snarling traffic and traffic jams are the order of the day. It takes hours to travel a small distance in the city. The infrastructure facilities are crumbling down. The environment is badly affected,” the court noted.
Concluding its order, the bench directed the State government to take a fresh look at the project and make informed decisions at the earliest. Emphasising the urgency of the situation, it said the State “must take necessary decisions for fresh planning by discarding the [existing framework] to ameliorate the living conditions of the city,” expressing hope that an appropriate course of action would be taken without further delay.