WB-aided road project to cover 2,263 km.

By R. Vijaya Kumar

BANGALORE, OCT. 12. Karnataka has embarked on an ambitious programme to develop roads, including the World Bank-assisted Highways Improvement Project which covers 2,263 km. of roads.

The Minister for Public Works, Mr. Dharam Singh, describes the project, which is to be implemented at a cost of Rs. 2,030 crores, as ``historical''.

He told The Hindu that with the assistance of the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD), the State had taken up improvement of 13,675 km. of roads and construction of 351 bridges at an estimated cost of Rs. 887.70 crores. The project had commenced, and on completion it would revolutionise communication links in rural areas in the State, he said.

He said that under the Central Road Fund of the Union Government, the State had taken up improvement of roads under the Public Works Department at a cost of about Rs. 115 crores.

The Government had accorded high priority to the improvement of roads, Mr. Singh said. To ensure adequate funds for road projects, it had set up the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL) to raise resources from financial institutions. The KRDCL had taken up the construction of 153 bridges, and 102 were completed in record time, he added.

In accordance with the Union Government's ``Report of the committee on norms for maintenance of roads'', released in October last year, the Public Works Department had entrusted road maintenance work to contractors as part of a novel system. Maintenance of 7,720 km. of roads had been entrusted to private agencies. Road maintenance in each of the 27 districts had been entrusted to one private agency, the minister added.

The Government was also constructing roads on BOT basis, and the Hubli-Dharwad bypass was already in operation, he said.

A milestone in the Government's efforts to improve roads was the prestigious Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project, which was an highly innovative and path-breaking initiative by a private entrepreneur, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd. It consisted of 111 km. grade-separated limited-access expressway of four lanes, which could be extended to six lanes. It would also include 41 km. of peripheral road and 9 km. of link road.

Mr. Singh said the project envisaged construction of five townships along the expressway. Work was expected to commence shortly. The expressway, connecting the ``Silicon Valley of India'' to the cultural city of Mysore, would be of international standards, he added.He said there were several proposals to improve many other roads on BOT basis, and by raising resources from financial institutions.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Rs. 2,900 crores to modernise textile mills
Next     : Contempt charges to be framed against VS