Karnataka - Mysore   

Protests against stalling of highway work

MYSORE: Hundreds of village people residing in the border areas of Karnataka and Kerala are planning to hold massive demonstrations in H D Kote and Manandavadi on Saturday to protest against the stalling of the upgrading work on the Mysore-Manandavadi highway.

They will meet at the H D Kote hand post on Saturday morning to register their protest against the temporary injunction against the completion of the highway work issued by the Central Empowered Committee constituted by the Supreme Court. Similiarly, hundreds of village people from H D Kote will join their counterparts for a demonstration in Manandavadi in the afternoon.

The work on upgrading the 92-km-long Mysore-Manandavadi State highway, which began about three years ago, had been completed up to 62 km when the Central Empowered Committee issued a temporary injunction on the basis of a petition expressing concern over the safety of wildlife in the remaining 30-km highway that passes through Nagarhole forests.

The suspension of work is a big disappointment to the village people residing in the border areas of Karnataka and Kerala, for they were looking forward to a smooth journey across the State borders.

The upgraded highway would also improve connectivity between Mysore and Kerala through Manandavadi, which is barely 92 km from Mysore.

Most tourists steer clear of the Mysore-Manandavadi highway because of its deplorable condition.

Former Minister M. Shivanna, who represented H D Kote Assembly constituency between 1999 and 2004, told The Hindu that the State Government had taken up the upgrading work under the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project after securing all the necessary clearances, including environmental clearances from the State and Union Governments.

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