'NH 212 may be ready before deadline'

Chamarajanagar MP R Dhruvanarayan, who inspected development works on National Highway 212 (Kozhikode in Kerala to Kollegal in Karnataka) on the Mysuru-Nanjangud stretch, said that the works would be completed before deadline of June 2016.

Speaking to media persons at the camp office of the ‘Kerala Border-Kollegal Section of NH-212’ at Nanjangud on Thursday, he said the development works on the 129.44 km road in Karnataka would cost Rs 419.40 crore and so far, works on 61 km have been completed.

“As there were no takers for the public-private partnership (PPP) model approved earlier, the project had to be converted into engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. Except for the 1.5 km stretch near the Mysuru Airport near Mandakalli, works are in progress in full swing and the contractors are confident of completing it by April,” Dhruvanarayan said.

He said the highway in the State starts from a place called Mulehole in Gundlupet on the Kerala border and reaches Kollegal via Nanjangud, Mysuru and T Narsipur. While the entire stretch would be a 10 metre wide road, 27 km of it from Nanjangud to Madhuvana junction in Mysuru would be a four-lane road of 22.5 metre width with a median. While the road is around seven metre wide at most places, it is somewhere near 5.5 metre wide from Mysuru to T Narsipur. So, the road would reach the National Highway standard after completion of the project, he added.

The contractors, Dilip Buildcon, have been handed over the works on June 20, 2014, and the works started on July 1, 2014. Now, almost 50 per cent of the works have been completed and the deadline is June 18, 2016. The project includes only two major bridges and 28 minor bridges. While a new bridge is being constructed across River Kapila, the old bridge is being given a facelift, he said.

The major hurdles in the project are trees which need to be removed, land acquisition, clearing of land encroachments and various pipelines, Dhruvanarayan said. A meeting, along with the Deputy Commissioner, has been held with the stakeholders and they have been directed to facilitate the speedy execution of the project, he added.

NH-209 works
Speaking about the works on the long-pending National Highway 209 (Bengaluru to Dindigal), which passes  through Kaggalipura, Harohalli, Kanakapura, Halaguru, Malavalli, Sattegala, Kollegal, Yelanduru, Chamarajanagar and Punjanuru in Karnataka before entering Tamil Nadu, he said, the PPP model has been approved for it. But no one has come forward to execute it. Efforts are being made to convert it also into an EPC model.
“The NH 209 is 171 km in Karnataka and would cost Rs 668 crore as it includes six major bridges. The project will also include at least 61 km of new roads, as bypass roads will be provided in several towns,” he said.

Railway line work
When asked why the Bengaluru-Chamarajanagar railway line works via Kanakapura is being delayed, he said the confusion over the ordinance to make amendments to the Land Acquisition Act is a major reason.

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has agreed to execute the project as the State government has to bear 50 per cent of the cost. The project will see the light of the day soon,” he added.