Six highway projects running behind schedule in Karnataka: Nitin Gadkari

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is executing 14 projects of four-laning of national highways in Karnataka, in which 6 projects are running behind the schedule due to the delay in acquiring land and forest clearance, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

In his written reply to BJP member Nalin Kumar Kateel, the Minister said that currently, 14 projects of four-laning of national highways in Karnataka comprising a length of about 1,209 km with a total cost of about Rs 17,263 crores are in different stages of implementation.

"Out of those 14 projects, six projects are running behind the schedule due to delay in different issues including land acquisition, forest clearance, Covid-19 pandemic and stoppage of work by local workers for want of higher compensation," Gadkari said.

"Several meetings have been conducted at various levels for expeditious completion of the highway projects. The payment of supplementary awards to the landowners has been planned to be completed by December 2020," the Minister said.

The projects of converting two-lane highways into four-lane highways that have made tardy progress are as follows:

Hassan to Maranahalli (17% work completed), Bellary to Byrapura (39.38% completed), Belgaum to Khanapur (30.07% completed), Mallasandra to Karadi ( 25.72% completed), Karadi to Banavara (22.4% completed) and Hospet to Bellary-Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border (41% completed).