Govt laying 155 km roads to decongest city: DyCM Karjol

The state government has started work on developing 155 km of roads on the outskirts of Bengaluru to reduce congestion at a cost of Rs 2,095 crore, Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol said on Saturday.

Karjol, the public works minister, said Rs 545 crore was set aside for land acquisition. Some of the road works include Hoskote-Budigere Cross (NH-4) to Kempegowda International Airport Road; Nelamangala from NH-4 to Madhure on SH 74 via Chikkamadhure; Kanchugaranahalli to Jigani via Harohalli; and Urgandoddi, among others. “Land acquisition is underway. Works have already begun in stretches where land is available,” Karjol told reporters.

Overall, for the 2019-20 fiscal year, Rs 9,549 crore was set aside for the Public Works Department. Until December 2019, Rs 3,649 crore had been utilised, he said.

An amount of Rs 691.11 crore was set aside for filling potholes on state highways and other main roads in the districts. Of this, Rs 193.33 crore has been spent till now. The department aimed to cover a stretch of 43,388 km, of which 39,041 km has been covered till now, Karjol stated. The rest of the works will be completed by the month end, he added.

For restoration of roads that suffered damage in the floods, Rs 500 crore has been set aside. Of a total 1,816 works identified, as many as 733 have been completed till now. There was a delay owing to the second round of floods in November last year. These works will be completed by the end of January.