Satish Jarkiholi plans Karnataka's first tunnel road way in Shiradi ghat

Minister for Public Works Satish Jarkiholi said that the government was contemplating on building Karnataka’s first tunnel road way in Shiradi Ghat region, as an additional route to the Bengaluru-Mangaluru NH 75.

“This will not just be a permanent solution to reduce accidents in the region, but will also save time. I will meet Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, to get permission in this regard on Monday,” the minister said.

Jarkiholi was speaking after inspecting the four-lane works on the Hassan-Sakleshpur road and the Shiradi Ghat stretch of NH 75 on Saturday.

The minister said that the government planned to build three tunnels for a distance of 3.8 km and a 10-km flyover between Maranahalli and Addehole on the 30-km stretch of Shiradi ghat. It can be used for one-way traffic from Sakleshpur to Mangaluru.

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The NH 75 can be used for one-way traffic from Mangaluru to Sakleshpur. There are such tunnels in Kashmir and other states in forest areas.

There are several railway tunnels, but this will be the state’s first tunnel road way, he said.

He added that once the union government permits, they would come up with a detailed project report.

“Just 10 km of this stretch comes under the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act. So, I will discuss with the state government, and seek necessary permission from the Forest department. We will take up works by ensuring that it doesn’t harm the environment and doesn’t affect elephant corridor and movement of animals,” Jarkiholi said.

Four-lane works

The minister said that the four-lane works between Hassan and Sakleshpur, delayed for the past seven years, would be completed by March 2024.

He inspected a place near Donigal in Sakleshpur taluk, where frequent landslides were witnessed and directed the officers to come up with a permanent solution to resolve the issue.