In the news for being inundated following heavy rain and lake breaches even before completion, the ambitious Bengaluru-Mysuru project is set to miss its original deadline. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which was aiming for a Dasara deadline, is now hoping to complete the project by December.
Sources said that the formal inauguration of the project is likely to happen before State Assembly elections next year. In March, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had announced that the entire expressway would be opened for motorists by October. In the first phase, there was a plan to open the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta stretch in July, and then it was revised to September.
At present, the NHAI has partially opened the bypass in Bidadi and Ramangaram to Channapatna. An official said by September 25, the stretch up to Nidaghatta will be opened, including the flyovers, and prior to Dasara, efforts will be made to open at least three bypasses beyond Nidaghatta.
“Incessant rain and other factors affected the pace of the work. For sure, the stretch up to Nidghatta will be opened by September 25. In the rest of the 61 km, the works have reached an advanced stage. In the 15 to 20 km stretch, due to resistance from land owners and other factors, the work has slowed. Our aim is to open three bypasses beyond Nidaghatta for motorists who are travelling to Mysuru during Dasara season,” said an official of the NHAI.
The expressway has multiple structures, such as an 8-km long elevated corridor, nine major bridges, 42 minor bridges, four railway overbridges and five bypasses, which is touted to ease traffic congestion and significantly reduce pollution.
But the much-hyped expressway has been in the news for all wrong reasons of late. After the unprecedented rainfall in Ramanagaram district, several underpasses were inundated with rainwater, resulting in hardship for motorists using the under construction highway. The NHAI faced the wrath of motorists, who alleged design flaws and blocking of natural streams for resulting in flooding of the road. At many locations, underpasses were inundated and the proposed toll gates flooded . At an underpass, five buses and several cars were stuck in water on Monday, and they had to be removed by using cranes. Motorists faced a harrowing time due to traffic snarls on the highway.
On accusations of flaws in design of the expressway, an official said, “It is because of the heavy rain that the low lying areas of the highway were flooded. However, to take corrective measures, we are studying the flow of the stream and whether there any blockages. All measures will be taken for free flow of the water,” an official said.
Opposition leaders take a dig at NHAI
The Opposition parties have lashed out at NHAI and blamed design flaws for inundation of the road. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy hit out by saying that Sangappanadoddi underpass turned into a swimming pool after inundation. He also took a dig at BJP MP Prathap Simha for allegedly blaming lakes breaching their bunds resulting in flooding of water instead asking NHAI to take up corrective measures.
KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar criticised the NHAI by saying that faulty plans resulted in flooding of water. He ridiculed the engineers who had designed the highway and said they must get “Padma Vibhushan” awards.
Replying to the Opposition leaders, Mr. Simha, in a social media post, said that alignment of the highway was also cleared by the respective State government departments during the approval stages. He said that there is a need for doing a comprehensive survey on blockages of streams that resulted in flooding by involving Revenue, Small Irrigation, Forest and others departments and if NHAI is at fault, corrective measures will be taken.
