Existing approach from Chandapura Circle to Garden Retreat Distance from Chandapura Circle: 6 km (including 2 km stretch of 80-feet road in JR Gardens) Pros: 1.Good road condition, road is wide enough for cars to pass in both directions 2.Stretch of road from Chandapura circle until BP Petrol Bunk is quite safe. Stretch from BP Petrol Bunk to JR Garden entrance (via Marsur-Mayasandra Road) is also relatively OK – it is well-habited. 3.Small shops available on Marsur-Mayasandra Road Cons: 1.2 km stretch of 80-feet road in JR Gardens does not inspire confidence in terms of safety. We have had incidents of trespassing and robbery on this stretch. Security at main entrance is non-existent. There is a small stretch which is unfenced, leaving Gardens vulnerable to trespassing. Streetlights are defunct. 2.Potential buyers/tenants perceive the lonely 2 km stretch negatively; apart from the feeling of insecurity, it also gives the perception that our layout is too remote and far.

Alternative approach that had been proposed by JR for a long time – around the northern periphery of the lake, and via railway underpass Distance from Chandapura Circle: 3-3.5km Pros: 1.Shortest path 2.Accessibility from Chandapura-Anekal main road would make it more attractive for buyers/tenants Cons: 1.Need blessing from villagers, panchayat and local politicians, as well as from South Western Railways (SWR). Apparently, JR had convinced the first group, but failed to get permission from SWR. As per SWR, this is a railway underpass meant for water flow (since there is supposed to be a lake nearby) and not a railway under-bridge. They will not permit the use of this underpass for movement of vehicles. 2.Even if this were a workable option, it would at best be a metaled road rather than a permanent tar road. There may not be street lights to improve the feeling of security after sunset. Also, the road will be narrow, not possible for two cars to pass. Due to #1, this is no longer an option on the table!

New alternative# 1 – via bus depot and level crossing; develop existing mud road beside rail track all the way to Retreat. Distance from Chandapura Circle: 3.4km Pros: 1.Shortest path 2.Accessibility from Chandapura-Anekal main road would make it more attractive for buyers/tenants 3.Incentive for JR to develop this, since it will help them market Retreat Phase 2. Cons: 1.Mud road – needs to be developed in order to be usable 2.Based on our visit there, and what we heard from the JR guide who accompanied us, it looks like some portion of land needs to be acquired if the road has to be developed 3.Niranjan suspects some part of the land may be railways property, he is not sure and needs to check. If that is the case, they will not be able to develop the road in that stretch (have to use the mud road as-is). 4.Even if this is feasible, we think it will take several months to materialize

New alternative# 2 – via bus depot and level crossing; use existing road going to Vakil, then enter JR Gardens via Vakil layout; need entrance gate near water tank Distance from Chandapura Circle: ~4.5km (3.5km to Vakil, another ~1km to Retreat) Pros: 1.Road is good (narrow but good enough because of space on the sides), except for a small stretch beyond the level crossing. 2.Accessibility via Vakil may be a plus point for potential buyers/tenants, especially since there is some habitation there (e.g. Vakil apartments) + Vakil Whispering Woods seems to be better maintained and secure. 3.Niranjan has already talked to Vakil and it looks like a mutually beneficial arrangement can be worked out. Cons: 1.There is a good number of slum-dwellers within the Vakil layout. Those people apparently have some ongoing litigation with Vakil folks and may not leave the property easily. Some of them have been known to create nuisance in Retreat in the past (theft of material, trespassing, intimidation of construction workers, etc.) – until JR raised the Retreat compound wall height and provided a separate gate for Retreat. Need to figure out how access can be controlled so as to not invite such trouble again.

We can also reach Hosur Road directly from Vakil Whispering Woods via Thirumagondanahalli instead of going via Chandapura, as shown in this map. Distance from Retreat to Chandapura Circle: 5km However, distance from Chandapura to Retreat will be significantly more (~8km) since there is no right turn from Hosur road into Thirumagondanahalli Road Pros: 1.Closer to Hosur Road (2.8km from Retreat to nearest point on Hosur Road) 2.Same pros as #2 and #3 on previous slide. Cons: 1.Same con as #1 on previous slide 2.One stretch of road in Thirumagondanahalli is not good, also there are no streetlights and it does not look any more secure than the option shown in the previous slide. From JR’s perspective, there is no difference between alternative# 2A and 2B. From our perspective, both options are available if the Vakil-JR agreement is worked out. We should treat this as a bonus rather than a separate option on the table.

Alternative# 3 – Make existing approach road (via Gardens) more secure by beefing up security and making streetlights operational Distance from Chandapura Circle: 6km Need 24/7 security at entrance to Gardens Need additional security within Gardens JR can talk to local police to provide patrolling (but police will agree only once enough people start living there) One stretch of the eastern boundary of Gardens is not fenced, making it vulnerable to trespassing. Fence this off. Make streetlights operational. Summary: We need to discuss amongst ourselves and get back to Niranjan (by 6/29, earlier if possible) with our feedback on these 3 alternatives We have also asked Niranjan to do his own research and let us know which is the best option in his view Need to close this by July.