Karnataka Greater Schooling Minister M C Sudhakar just lately acknowledged that the choice to assemble the sky deck in Bengaluru will likely be taken after thorough session with Bangalore College stakeholders in a syndicate assembly. The proposed 250-metre-high sky deck, which is touted to be South Asia’s tallest and has a price ticket of Rs 500 crore, is a dream venture of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D Okay Shivakumar.
The announcement got here after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Bangalore College vice chancellor requesting 25 acres of land from BU’s Jnana Bharathi campus to construct the sky deck, citing its strategic location close to Mysore Highway and connectivity to Kengeri railway and metro stations as benefits. The BBMP has additionally proposed a revenue-sharing mannequin, which is able to profit the college.
Chatting with The Indian Specific, Sudhakar mentioned, “The federal government has not finalised the BU campus for organising the sky deck. Now we have learnt that BBMP has written to BU, however we’re but to contemplate the identical. The matter will likely be taken up within the upcoming syndicate assembly and a call will likely be taken accordingly. The BBMP has sought land on the nook of the Jnana Bharathi campus, with shut proximity to the Bangalore College metro station. Furthermore, the college is considering a flyover by the campus ranging from the metro station to ease the vehicular congestion throughout the campus. All these facets will likely be studied totally earlier than finalising something.”
Nevertheless, the opportunity of organising a sky deck in an academic establishment has sparked criticism from professors and college students. A senior professor mentioned, “The Jnana Bharathi campus is strictly meant for schooling functions. Organising a sky deck with a motive of commercialisation, violates the norm. Furthermore, the campus is residence to wealthy biodiversity, and any effort to concretise will solely disturb the ecological stability of the area. Now we have spared just a few lung areas in Bengaluru and BU campus is certainly one of them. It’s important that we resist this proposal tooth and nail.”
The BBMP has been actively trying to find land for the proposed 250-metre-tall sky deck venture in Bengaluru. Nevertheless, the civic company has confronted a number of challenges in finalising a location because of varied elements corresponding to aviation restrictions, public suggestions, and land availability. Initially, the venture was proposed for the Central Enterprise District (CBD), however objections from the Ministry of Defence, the Airports Authority of India, and Hindustan Aeronautics Restricted (HAL) relating to top restrictions close to delicate zones like HAL Airport compelled a rethink. Different websites just like the New Authorities Electrical Manufacturing unit (NGEF) close to Baiyappanahalli and Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Restricted (KSDL) in Yeshwanthpur had been thought-about however confronted related regulatory hurdles.
Extra just lately, the BBMP zeroed in on a 25-acre plot in Hemmigepura alongside the Nandi Infrastructure Hall Enterprises (NICE) Highway on the town’s southwest outskirts. Nevertheless, this plan hit a snag when the state authorities declined to approve the usage of NICE-owned land, prompting the BBMP to seek for new choices.
The truth is, a four-member committee arrange by Bangalore College (BU) has additionally red-flagged the institution of the College of Visvesvaraya Faculty of Engineering (UVCE) in a 50-acre area of the Jnana Bharathi campus, citing ‘ecological injury’. The abstract of the report reviewed by The Indian Specific confirmed that any diversion of the biodiversity-rich space will violate the Organic Variety Act, 2004, and Atmosphere (Safety) Act, 1986, of the Authorities of India.
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Out of the 800 acres of the Jnana Bharathi campus, round 300 acres have been leased out to numerous establishments and services for schooling and different functions. The Sports activities Authority of India (SAI) occupies round 81 acres. Greater schooling and analysis institutions just like the Ambedkar Faculty of Economics (43 acres), the Nationwide Regulation Faculty of India College (30 acres), the Regional Institute of English (11 acres), and the Institute for Social and Financial Change (38 acres) additionally maintain important parts. Moreover, organisations corresponding to Atomic Vitality (15 acres), Indian Institute of Plantation Administration (5 acres), Dhanavantri (8 acres), NAAC (10 acres), and Kannada Bhasha Sahitya Adayana (3 acres) are a part of the leased land. Numerous scholar hostels, together with these for OBC and minority college students, occupy smaller plots, whereas important public providers like a police station, fireplace station, and metro infrastructure are additionally current. In the meantime, a 15-acre lease for Yoga Sciences has been cancelled by the syndicate, although the formal cancellation is pending.