For those who travel from Bengaluru to Mysuru, a few pit stops along the way has been a tradition. From a breakfast halt at Bidadi for piping hot ‘thatte’ idlis to buying wooden toys or cutlery for home décor at Ramanagaram — regular travellers never miss them and a whole economy thrives on these patrons.
The opening up of a 58 kilometre stretch of Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) from Hejjala to Nidaghatta of Maddur taluk has changed all that. The local businesses in Bidadi, Ramanagaram, Channapatna, and Maddur have been hit, with commuters mostly preferring to take the expressway. Hotels, petrol pumps, toys and handicrafts, and other roadside trade along the old Bengaluru-Mysuru highway have been affected.
