No going back on expressway: Dharam

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, OCT. 12. The State Government has ruled out review of the proposed Bangalore-Mysore Expressway Project, and said the work on it will begin in November from both the ends.

Mr. Dharam Singh, Minister for Public Works, said this at a ``meet the press'' programme organised by the Press Club of Bangalore here today. Replying to a question, he said the previous government had approved the project and its execution by a private sector construction company (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Project). The Congress Government did not want to interfere and change the project in any manner.

The minister was asked whether the Karnataka State Road Development Corporation could not undertake the project like its Maharashtra counterpart, which was implementing the Mumbai- Pune Expressway Project. His attention was drawn to the fact that if the Corporation undertook the project, land required would be far less than the 20,913 acres needed for the project in its present shape.

Mr. Dharam Singh said that environmental clearance had been received from the Centre for the project as it involved the acquisition of 168 acres of forest land. He said the existing Bangalore-Mysore State highway would be converted into a four- lane carriageway. The work on it would be taken up in two phases for Bangalore-Maddur and Maddur-Mysore stretches. Mr. K. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary, Public Works, said the cost of the townships - to be built along the proposed expressway - would not be included in the toll to be collected from the users. The townships would be self-financing.

The Union Government had sanctioned a 192-km. national highway (no.218) linking Hubli with Bijapur. A Malaysian company had come forward to upgrade the Mysore-Bantwal State highway on deferred- payment basis.

Mr. Dharam Singh said the work on the Rs. 2,030-crore World Bank- aided project to upgrade 2,300 km. of State highways and major district roads commenced on October 5 with the holding of a pre- launch workshop for the engineers who would be involved in it.

He said the proposed Vidhana Soudha annexe (South Block) would be a ``mirror image'' of the existing Vidhana Soudha.

He and the Public Works Secretary, Mr. G. C. Tallur, defended the decision to get the annexe project executed by the private sector B. G. Shirke Company instead of by the Public Works Department. The trend was towards privatisation of construction.

Their attention was drawn to the fact that the Vidhana Soudha was built during 1951-56 by the department.

Mr. Tallur noted that the design for the annexe had been provided by the Government architect.

Mr. Dharam Singh said the Cabinet would consider the Radhakrishna Committee report on specifications and standard rate analysis for buildings, roads and bridges.

The department had been given a ``new dimension'' in the past two years, he noted.

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Section  : Southern States
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