North-South highway project gets a push

The State government has appointed the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) as the nodal agency to execute the ‘Kalyana Patha’ project that proposes to develop the existing roads connecting Chamarajanagar with Bidar into a eight-lane stretch.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced the project in the revised budget proposal for 2013-14 presented in July this year, in a bid to encourage the development of industries, colonies and small towns along the 850-km stretch connecting the two cities located at the southern and northern tips of the State. It was also one of the promises made by the Congress in its Assembly election manifesto.

According to officials in the Public Works Department (PWD), the project involves improving and widening existing stretches, depending on traffic density and other local requirements.

The data obtained from the traffic census conducted by the PWD in 2011 would be utilised for the purpose, they said. Officials in KRDCL said Expression of Interest from consultants to prepare a feasibility report for the project would be invited soon. The Detailed Project Report would follow the feasibility report.

The project involves developing major district roads and State highways. Several stretches taken up for improvement under the Karnataka State Highway Development Project, with the assistance of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, and the State Highway Development Project taken up for strengthening the State highways could be integrated as part of the project, the officials said. The State has a total of 20,770 km of State highways and 49,959 km of major district roads.

The State government has entrusted the PWD chief engineers (north and south zones) with the task of submitting a report on its two other proposals of converting roads connecting one district headquarters with the neighbouring district headquarters into four-lane stretches and roads connecting district headquarters with taluk headquarters into two-lane stretches.

Siddaramaiah, his cabinet colleagues and senior officials of the government, during their recent interaction with the 14th Finance Commission headed by former governor of Reserve Bank of India Y V Reddy, had sought that the panel recommend that the Centre provide special grants to the State for executing the three projects.

* National Highway: 4,490
* State Highway: 20,770
*  Major District Roads: 49,959
* Municipal Roads: 8,366
* Other Roads: 1,48,412
* Total: 2,31,997

(Source: The Public Works Department and Inland Water Transport Department)