<p>The agency hired by the goverment to upgrade Bangalore-Mysore road to a six-lane national highway is yet to submit the Detailed Project Report (DPR). <br /><br /></p>.<p>Work on the project is therefore likely to begin only in 2015, Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa said on Monday. <br /><br />“The agency has been appointed for upgrading the road to a national highway. It will have to first submit the DPR to the government. Once we receive that, we will examine the feasibility of the project and send it to the NHAI for approval,” Mahadevappa said on the sidelines of an interaction with the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) here. <br /><br />“After the report is submitted, it will take six months for work to start.” A road network of 1,668 km in the State, including the Bangalore-Mysore road, had been declared national highway since March 4, he added. <br /><br />At a recent meeting with top police officers of Bangalore and Mysore, and the local leaders, the need to stop the indiscriminate laying of speed-breakers was discussed, he said. <br /><br />Road asphalt system<br /><br />Meanwhile, the government is all set to launch the Road Information System (RIS) to bring transparency in the construction of roads. The RIS will have all details about a particular road, including the cost of its maintenance and tarring. It will also check any duplication of works, thereby curbing corruption.<br /> Mahadevappa said the government was making an all-out effort to ensure that the shortage of sand for construction purpose did not go out of control. <br /><br />In a documentation, the PWD has noted that there is a demand for 20 million metric tonnes (MMT) of sand to be drawn from river beds. <br /><br />There is, however, a shortage of a whopping 14-16 MMT of sand. <br /><br />Survey sanctioned<br /><br />As a result, the government has sanctioned a survey to determine the extent of sand which can be drawn from the river beds. <br /><br />The survey is being conducted as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines.<br /><br /> Named the ‘Quarry planning and environmental management plan’, it is being conducted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and the Department of Mines and Geology. <br /><br />A total of 4.61 MMT of sand is said to have been extracted in 2013-14 at a cost of Rs 45.88 crore. The PWD sold the sand for Rs 139 crore. <br /><br />The government has also commissioned artificial sand generation units in the State, besides issuing a government order to all PWD chief engineers to use only the Blast Furnace Slag Sand in road projects. <br /></p>
<p>The agency hired by the goverment to upgrade Bangalore-Mysore road to a six-lane national highway is yet to submit the Detailed Project Report (DPR). <br /><br /></p>.<p>Work on the project is therefore likely to begin only in 2015, Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa said on Monday. <br /><br />“The agency has been appointed for upgrading the road to a national highway. It will have to first submit the DPR to the government. Once we receive that, we will examine the feasibility of the project and send it to the NHAI for approval,” Mahadevappa said on the sidelines of an interaction with the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) here. <br /><br />“After the report is submitted, it will take six months for work to start.” A road network of 1,668 km in the State, including the Bangalore-Mysore road, had been declared national highway since March 4, he added. <br /><br />At a recent meeting with top police officers of Bangalore and Mysore, and the local leaders, the need to stop the indiscriminate laying of speed-breakers was discussed, he said. <br /><br />Road asphalt system<br /><br />Meanwhile, the government is all set to launch the Road Information System (RIS) to bring transparency in the construction of roads. The RIS will have all details about a particular road, including the cost of its maintenance and tarring. It will also check any duplication of works, thereby curbing corruption.<br /> Mahadevappa said the government was making an all-out effort to ensure that the shortage of sand for construction purpose did not go out of control. <br /><br />In a documentation, the PWD has noted that there is a demand for 20 million metric tonnes (MMT) of sand to be drawn from river beds. <br /><br />There is, however, a shortage of a whopping 14-16 MMT of sand. <br /><br />Survey sanctioned<br /><br />As a result, the government has sanctioned a survey to determine the extent of sand which can be drawn from the river beds. <br /><br />The survey is being conducted as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines.<br /><br /> Named the ‘Quarry planning and environmental management plan’, it is being conducted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and the Department of Mines and Geology. <br /><br />A total of 4.61 MMT of sand is said to have been extracted in 2013-14 at a cost of Rs 45.88 crore. The PWD sold the sand for Rs 139 crore. <br /><br />The government has also commissioned artificial sand generation units in the State, besides issuing a government order to all PWD chief engineers to use only the Blast Furnace Slag Sand in road projects. <br /></p>
