Tuesday, June 11, 2002

Mysore road to be developed into 4-lane

Bangalore-Maddur stretch to be ready in 15 months

DH News Service
BANGALORE, June 10

The State government, which has decided to develop the Bangalore-Mysore State highway into a four-lane highway to cater to the increasing traffic on this busy route at a cost of Rs 300 crore, is now gearing up to complete the four-lane work from Bangalore to Maddur within 15-months in the first phase.

Disclosing this here today, Public Works Minister N Dharam Singh told reporters that in the first phase, a four-lane would be constructed on a stretch between Bangalore and Maddur in a span of 15 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore. The work, for which Hudco has assured a loan, would start soon.

In the first phase, lane-development work is being taken up only till Maddur, as there are some problems in acquiring the land beyond Maddur area which comprised fertile and irrigated land, he said.

However, the government would take steps to solve all the problems in land acquirement as there is a dire need for widening this busy stretch, he said.

Mr Singh said a World Bank delegation was in the State to study the appraisal report of the State government on the highway development works taken up in 18 districts with the help of the World Bank assistance.

Pointing out that the State government had completed the appraisal report in 22 months as against the 24-month deadline given to it, he said the World Bank delegation had acknowledged the efforts of the government in this regard and expressed happiness. The World Bank team had also toured all the 18 districts where the highway upgradation work was being taken up.

BMIC project: Mr Singh said the government may have to review the permission granted to Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises to implement the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project if the company expressed its inability to go ahead with the expressway immediately.

Though the BMIC project comprises both township scheme and expressway, the environmental department of the Centre has cleared only the expressway project, he told reporters here.

Pointing out that there was a feeling that the project would not become viable without the township programme, he said the chief minister would hold a meeting with representatives of the NICE company soon to sort out the problems.

However, if the company comes to a conculsion that it cannot take up the construction of the expressway alone, then the government may have to cancel the permission, he said.