Mysuru: The much delayed and controversial widening of Irwin Road in city has gained fresh traction with the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) expediting land acquisition process, paying compensation for land and setting in motion the demolition of acquired properties. 

There are 84 properties on the road and compensation have been paid for 74 properties. The process to demolish the rest of the properties will be initiated this week. MCC officials are aiming to complete the project by February end. 

MCC will take up demolition of the 350-metre stretch between K.T. Street till Government Ayurveda College. This stretch has the office of the District Industries Centre (DIC) and the compound of Central Library. Rs.3.5 crore has been given as compensation to the DIC and the premises was inspected two days back by Chamaraja MLA L. Nagendra and DIC Joint Director Lingaraju. The demolition of this space will begin  next week. 

The MCC has to take up the demolition of the remaining stretch from K.T. Street to Central Post Office (Nehru                                                           Circle next.). Among the contentious properties is the Jumma Masjid which was built by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1927 at a cost of Rs.38,000. Nalwadi had delivered the first sermon at the Masjid. 

(The Wakf Board that manages the Masjid has told the MCC that it does not want the compensation money but the MCC should build similar dome structure and minarets and also provide land in some other area to compensate the land loss to the Jumma Masjid, said Geetha Udeda, Assistant Commissioner, MCC Zone 6. 

This issue is being discussed at the government level and the process of demolition will be initiated after the government gives approval, she added. The demolition per-se is looked after by MCC Development Officer H. Nagaraj. 

The MCC has fixed compensation at Rs. 13,072 per sqft, excluding the value of the building. For this, Rs. 37 crore has been earmarked. The process of registration of some of the targeted properties has been completed and the demolition work will begin, said Geeta. 

Irwin Road comes under her jurisdiction. Only eight properties are contentious as some of the owners have approached the Court of Law against the demolition, she said. It is a 41.32 crore project and the money includes demolition costs and compensation costs, she added. 

Irwin Road is one of the busiest roads and connects Sub-Urban Bus Stand to the City Railway Station. The 850-metre stretch of the road from Ayurvedic College Circle to Arch Gate on B.N. Road is to be widened either by 10 feet. Though the widening proposal was conceived four years ago, only a portion of the stretch — from Railway Station to Ayurvedic College Circle — has been widened. 

More challenging for the MCC is the stretch from Ayurvedic College Circle to Nehru Circle which is around 650 metres in length and is both narrow and very commercially developed. 

“Once developed, it will be a 60-feet (18 metres) road including footpath. The four-lane road will have a median on the middle and will have box drainage feature. The road will get a heritage character with traditional lamp posts,” the Assistant Commissioner said.