Expressway project awaiting Central approval: Dharam

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 19. The Public Works Minister, Mr. Dharam Singh, said on Tuesday that work on the Bangalore-Mysore Expressway project would begin as soon as environment clearance was received from the Union Government.

Addressing presspersons here, he said the Government had completed preparatory works -- handing over 5,000 acres of government land at a nominal rate, granting duty exemption of Rs. 58 crores, and securing Central clearance for using an additional 168 acres of forest land. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) had agreed to provide two tmcft. of water for townships that were to be formed along the expressway, he added.

He said that the deputy commissioners of the four districts through which the proposed expressway would pass had heard the grievances of the farmers whose land was taken over. He added that they had been directed to pay compensation as per the revenue code.

Mr. Singh said the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had agreed to grant 62 acres of land for the expressway project. The project had been awaiting clearance from the Centre for the last 45 days as the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Mr. T.R. Baalu, was abroad. The minister was returning in a week, he said and hoped that approval for the project would be granted.

Referring to the opposition to the acquisition of prime agricultural land on Mysore Road beyond Maddur, Mr. Singh said that the proposed expressway would have four lanes up to Maddur, the home town of the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna. From Maddur up to Mysore, there would only be a two-lane road, he added.

Dismissing objections to the project, Mr. Singh said the problems of Bangalore would increase manifold if ``counter magnets'' were not created to stop the increasing migration to the City, the population of which had increased from three lakhs 30 years ago to 75 lakhs at present.

WB-aided project: The minister said the Rs. 2,030-crore World Bank-aided road project would be advanced by a month. It would be launched in August with a change in nomenclature to ``major maintenance and rehabilitation''. This was the first road project of its kind funded by the World Bank in the country, he added.

A major outcome of talks with the World Bank's team of officers was that the share of the Government in the investment for the project had been brought down to 20 per cent from 30 per cent. The loan would be repayable after a five-year holiday at an interest rate of 12.5 per cent.

Under the concept of upgrading of roads, the cost was Rs. 1.37 crores per km. of road. This had been reduced to between Rs. 85 lakhs to Rs. 1.1 crores, depending on the work to be taken up on a particular stretch, such as widening and construction of culverts.

Mr. Singh said that the Rs. 250-crore project for the maintenance of State highways with HUDCO assistance had been entrusted to a contractor. The works included resurfacing and widening of roads, he added.

The Mysore-Bantwal State Highway project taken up with Malaysian assistance was also under way. The officers of a Malaysian team and those of the State Government had held discussions on the project, and it had been agreed to defer payment, Mr. Singh added.

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