The Union Ministry of Surface Transport has said that 1,668.03-km stretch of seven State highways in Karnataka will be upgraded to national highways.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would award the contracts and the work would commence soon.
Service roads Minister for Public Works Department H.C. Mahadevappa told presspersons here on Tuesday that the Union Ministry of Surface Transport took the decision at a meeting on March 4, 2014. The NHAI had been told to develop service roads in the nearby towns for the convenience of local residents.
Project reports
Land would be acquired and compensation paid to the families concerned in accordance with the new land acquisition law passed by the Union government. The NHAI would prepare detailed project reports and workout the cost of upgrading each road, he said.
The seven State Highways to be upgraded to national highways are: new NH 161 – Nanded Road in Maharashtra connecting Bidar, Humnabad, Gulbarga, Jewargi, Bijapur, Hospet and connecting NH 48 near Lakshmisagar (260.81 km); new NH 50 – Jewargi-Siruguppa-Bellary-Hiriyur-Chikkanayakanahalli-Nagamangala-Srirangapatna-Mysore- Nanjangud (618.62 km); NH 73 – Mudigere-Chikmagalur-Kadur (72 km); NH 75 – Bantwal-Puttur-Sullia-Madikeri-Periyapatna-Mysore-Srirangapatna -Mandya-Ramanagaram-Bangalore (367.46 km); NH 67 – Bhanapur-Kukkunur-Yelburga-Gajendragad-Badami-Guledagudda-Bagalkot- Gadankeri (156.62 km); NH 50 – Gulbarga-Chowdapur-Afzalpur-Solapur (Maharashtra) (104.80 km) and NH 169 – Tirthahalli- Agumbe-Hebri-Udupi (87.60 km).
The Minister said the State government urged the NHAI to upgrade a stretch of 203 km between Tumkur and Shimoga to a four-lane road, at a meeting held in New Delhi on May 5.
The NHAI was also advised to upgrade four roads to national highways. They are Mysore-Bannur-Malavalli (45 km), Khanapur-Talaguppa-Bhatkal (296 km), Belgaum-Bagalkot-Raichur- Mahbubnagar and Sankeshwar-Gokak-Yaragatti-Jagalur (335 km).
Against land acquisition Mr. Mahadevappa said there was no proposal before the State government to link Bangalore and Mysore with a bullet train to reduce the commuting time between two cities. Land acquisition in Mandya, Maddur and other places would be a major problem and the government was against acquiring irrigated land, he said.
