The Hindu : Karnataka News : Four-lane road to be ready by Nov. 2005

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 07, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Four-lane road to be ready by Nov. 2005

By Harichandan A.A.

Work on Bangalore- Mysore Road is in full swing. — Photo: K Murali Kumar

BANGALORE, JUNE 6. Soma Enterprise Ltd., a Hyderabad-based firm, which is executing a project to convert the Maddur-Mysore stretch of Bangalore-Mysore Road into a four-lane one, is likely to finish the work ahead of the deadline fixed for it, according to the director of the company, Akineedu Maganti.

He told The Hindu that the company specialised in road building, civil engineering for hydel power projects, and building check-dams and canals. "While the deadline for the project is 2006, we have mobilised resources to finish it by November 2005," Mr. Maganti said.

The company was awarded a Rs. 116.2 crore contract under phase two of the project launched by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. to double the State Highway between Bangalore and Mysore. As per the contract, Soma would execute work from the 82.5 km point (Maddur) to the 135.35 km point (Mysore), excluding a stretch between the 97.2 km point and 101 km point. The Maddur-Mysore stretch was an "eight-year maintenance and annuity" contract, he said. The company would press into service 400 engineers and support staff to speed up the work on the project, he said.

He said user charge or toll fee to be collected from people using better roads was gaining acceptance now. Traffic on Mumbai-Pune Highway, which initially fell short of projections, was now picking up and so was the toll collection there.

On many stretches being built under the Golden Quadrilateral project, toll was being collected. People were willing to pay a reasonable toll for the "higher degree of service in terms of maintenance of roads," he said. Bangalore-Mysore Road would, however, be free with a "lower level of service" compared to the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project, he said.

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