The Hindu : Karnataka News : Will motorists have to pay toll on Bangalore-Mysore highway?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Will motorists have to pay toll on Bangalore-Mysore highway?

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, MAY 1. The contention of the former MLA, A. Ramdas, who represented Krishnaraja Assembly constituency in the dissolved Assembly, that a toll will be collected from motorists using the Mysore-Bangalore highway, which is being upgraded into a four-lane divided carriageway, has caused concern here.

Though the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, had declared that no toll would be collected at a function organised to launch the work on improving the highway here on February 15, Mr. Ramdas claims that the private contractors implementing the highway project will charge a prescribed toll on motorists after the project is completed.

The State Government has taken up a project to widen the existing highway between the two cities into a four-lane divided carriageway, with a median, at a cost of Rs. 319 crore.

Mr. Ramdas told The Hindu that the private contractors had raised a loan of Rs. 250 crore from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) based on a Government guarantee. "After completing the project, they have to also maintain the road and a toll will be collected for a certain period," he said. But, when asked to furnish the details of the contract for the implementation of the project, Mr. Ramdas sought time.

But, the former MLA's statement has already stirred up a debate. Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) reacted immediately to the prospect of a toll being levied on motorists and said the move amounted to a breach of trust by the Government.

However, it remains to be confirmed from official sources whether the private contractors will be levying a toll.

Mr. Krishna had described the upgraded four-lane highway a common man's highway on which motorists could enjoy the luxury of travelling on a road built to high standards, without paying a toll.

At the same time, Mr. Krishna had referred to the proposed Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, which was a different project, and hinted at the possibility of collecting toll from motorists using the expressway coming up under the project.

If the former MLA's claim turns out to be true, commuters will have no toll-free highway between Mysore and Bangalore. "The only toll-free route connecting Bangalore and Mysore will be the circuitous road via Kanakapura," a representative of MGP said.

Work is continuing at a brisk pace on widening the highway. The upgraded highway will not only reduce the distance between the two cities from 139 km to 111 km but also get rid of 76 curves, making the journey faster and safer.

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