The city’s image as the next best investment destination in Karnataka after Bangalore has taken a beating due to connectivity issues in recent times.
While air connectivity has been disrupted following the withdrawal of the solitary flight that connected Mysore with Bangalore and Chennai, the proposed high-speed train service (with speeds in excess of 165 kmph) is also unlikely to take off due to track curvature.
The only dependable mode of transportation is the road, but heavy traffic along the 139-km stretch between the two cities, over 100 unscientific speed bumps and the frequent traffic hold-ups on the highway have made road journey tiring. This has impacted Mysore’s image as an investment destination and generated concern among stakeholders here. While the Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) proposes to take up the issue of frequent traffic hold-ups with the government, it has called for elevated roads along vulnerable points where farmers tend to protest and hold up traffic.
Elevated highwayK.S. Nagapathi, director of Mahajana Tourism Development Institute, said the city’s fortunes would be better served if in addition to the existing highway, the government opts for an elevated highway bypassing all towns so that the 139-km distance could be covered in about an hour.
Members of the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Mysore Chamber of Commerce and Industry have repeatedly emphasised the importance of better connectivity not only to Bangalore but to important commercial centres such as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kochi from here.
Suresh Kumar Jain of Mysore Industries’ Association told The Hindu that in the absence of good road, rail or air connectivity, it was difficult to market Mysore as an investment destination with potential for growth. “Poor connectivity will be a hindrance to industrial growth as the cost of transportation will go up, raw materials cannot be procured on time and finished products cannot be delivered within stipulated period,” said Mr. Jain. The government’s decision to upgrade the existing four-lane road into a six-lane highway has been welcomed.
However, MGP president R. Chandra Prakash said that converting the two-lane road into a four-lane road a few years ago did not reduce travel time between the two cities, and hence expanding it to six lanes may not help either. The MGP has called for flyovers bypassing towns along the highway, including Mandya, Maddur, Channapatana, Ramanagaram, Bidadi and Kengeri.
