Reaffirming that the tolled expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru should be named after the river Cauvery, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha said that there is no precedence of naming highways after individuals.
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Speaking to mediapersons in Mysuru on February 13, Mr.Simha said that river Cauvery is the benefactor of millions of people, and there could be no Bengaluru, or other cities, without the river. Hence, it is apt that the expressway be named after the river as the road passes through the Cauvery heartland. People in Mandya and other districts deify and worship Cauvery, and there is no need to create a controversy over the issue, he added.
The toll for different categories of vehicles plying on Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway toll will be rolled out in due course. | Photo Credit: File photo
Mr. Simha said Cauvery is also worshipped as one of the seven sacred rivers. It has been a lifeline to the people in the region. Naming the expressway after Cauvery should not be construed to mean insult to other personalities whose names are being suggested, including that of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar.
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‘’I have suggested that the Mysuru airport be named after Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar for his contribution to the development of modern Mysuru, besides naming Mysuru station after Chamaraja Wadiyar given his efforts to expand railways in the princely state of Mysuru,” said Mr.Simha.
He remarked that politicians born and brought up in Mysuru could not think of naming either the railway station or the airport after the maharajas, nor could they conceive the idea of naming the expressway after Cauvery.
‘’But when I have made the suggestions, they are propping up alternative names without understanding the reality,” he said hinting at ‘lack of original thinking’ on their part.
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Work on the expressway is more or less over, but for civic works at certain stretches, which will be completed within a month. ‘’In all probability, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the expressway some time in the second or the third week of March,” said Mr. Simha.
On the toll to be charged for using the road Mr. Simha said it was likely to be around ₹250 for one way, though the toll could be less for same-day return journey.
He said a rest area would come up on a 30-acre plot at Channapatna at a cost of ₹1,200 crore. Apart from toilets, there would be space for restaurants, eateries, kiosks and stalls dealing with handicrafts and Channapatana toys. It would also have electric vehicle charging stations, fuel station, and gas stations, and all of it would take another year to be completed.