Minister for Public Works H.C. Mahadevappa on Saturday announced a host of infrastructure projects for Mangaluru and its suburbs.
They included a bypass road connecting National Highway 66 (Edapalli-Panvel) and NH 75 (Mangaluru-Bentaluru); second bridge across Phalguni (Gurupura) River at Maravoor on Airport Road and the much-delayed hanging bridge between Sultan Batteri and Tannirbhavi.
Speaking at a function for laying the foundation stone for the improvement of approach road to the district court complex here, Mr. Mahadevappa said the PWD Mangaluru Circle had sent a proposal for construction of the second bridge at Maravoor on the Airport Road at a cost of Rs. 30 crore. He would ensure its speedy approval so as to facilitate smoother movement of vehicles between Mangaluru and the Airport, the Minister said.
Reacting to Mangaluru South MLA J.R. Lobo’s proposal to build a bypass road between NH 66 and NH 75 to decongest the city roads, Mr. Mahadevappa said he would positively consider the proposal. It involves construction of a new road at a cost of about Rs. 17 crore. Similarly, he has sanctioned construction of the hanging bridge at Sultan Batteri at a cost of Rs. 12 crore, of which Rs. 6 crore has been released, the Minister said.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajya Sabha Member Oscar Fernandes, who laid the foundation stone for the road improvement, suggested to the civic authorities and to the PWD to consider building ‘roads over roads’ in Mangaluru. Since the existing roads are getting choked and there is little possibility of further widening, roads over existing roads could take lighter vehicles, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Lobo said the proposed bypass would not only decongest the city roads by taking vehicles from Kerala towards Bengaluru and vice versa, but also would open up the underdeveloped region for economic development. It would also offer easy connectivity to Mangaluru Junction (Kankanadi) Railway Station, which is proposed to be developed in to world class, he said.
Later, Mr. Lobo told The Hindu that the proposed bypass would run along the northern bank of Netravathi and join Kannur before the Masjid. It would also improve tourism activities in the region, he said. While private lands might have to be acquired for the new road, it does not involve displacement of people settled in the region, he said.
