Travel seamlessly to M'luru on Shiradi Ghat soon

 The first phase of the Shiradi Ghat road works would finish in another eight to 10 days and the Ghat (NH 48) that connects Mangaluru and Bengaluru will be opened to all types of vehicles in the first week of August, announced PWD minister H C Mahadevappa.

Speaking to mediapersons after inspecting the road development works at Gundya guest house here on Saturday, he said that the first phase (13 km) of concreting from Heggadde (237 km) to Kempuhole (250.62 km) - taken up at a cost of Rs 69.90 crore - had been completed by Messrs Ocean Constructions (India) Private Limited. “The shouldering (filling the edges) and fixing signboards would be completed in 10 days,” he said and added that the road work had to be stopped for 21 days due to heavy rain in April.

“Otherwise, the stretch could have been opened about a month ago,” he said and added that the road had been widened from 5.5 metres to 8.5 metres. The funds for the work were released when MP Oscar Fernandes was the Union transport minister, Mahadevappa informed.

The minister said that the second phase of the work, which includes asphaltation from Gulagalale (216 km) to Heggadde (237 km) and concretisation from Kempuhole (250.62 km) to Addahole (263 km) would begin in September and would be completed in three to four months, he said.

Asked whether the Shiradi Ghat would be closed again during the second phase, the minister said that the road would have to be closed again, but steps would be taken to complete the work in three to four months as plans are on the anvil to start work on either side of the stretch.

To another query on plans to build a tunnel beneath the Shiradi Ghat stretch using Japanese technology, envisioned when Fernandes was the minister, between Maranahalli and Kempuhole (21.5 km), Mahadevappa said that the Central government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore to prepare a detailed project report (DPR). “A team from the State has already visited Japan and sought technical help from experts,” he said. The DPR would be ready in three to four months.

The minister said that the State was interested in developing the road between Shishila (Belthangady taluk, DK district) and Bhairapur (Mudigere taluk, Chikkamagalur district), which would reduce the distance to Mangaluru by 25 km. “The government would need Rs 30 crore for the purpose,” he said.

Mahadevappa said that the NHAI would commence the four-laning work between Hassan and B C Road (except the Shiradi Ghat stretch) from December 2015. “The Centre has sanctioned Rs 1,500 crore for the purpose,” he said. Youth Services, Sports and Fisheries Minister K Abhaychandra Jain, Sakleshpur MLA Kumaraswamy, PWD chief engineer Mrutyunjaya were present.