The State government plans to develop the Mandya-Melkote and Mandya-Gubbi roads under the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (KSHIP).
With Rahul Gandhi, vice-president of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), likely to visit Mandya shortly, Minister for Public Works, Ports, Inland and Water Transport H.C. Mahadevappa visited the town on Sunday.
Later, he told presspersons at the Zonal Agricultural Research Station (ZARS, VC Farm) on the outskirts of Mandya that the government would upgrade the Mandya-Melkote highway at a cost of Rs. 2 crore.
Tenders had been invited for upgrading the Mandya-Gubbi main road too, he said.
Although the Mandya-Melkote and Mandya-Gubbi are two major highways in the district, their condition was pathetic, at present, he said
Mr. Mahadevappa inspected the research station and discussed the preparations to be made for the visit of Mr. Gandhi, along with the Mandya District Congress Committee president M.S. Atmananda and others.
Mr. Gandhi would be visiting the district during the second week of October and meeting the family members of farmers, who had committed suicide owing to crop loss. He is also expected to participate in interactive sessions with farmers at the VC Farm, Mr. Mahadevappa said.
Vice-president of the Sports Authority of Karnataka P.M. Somashekar, the former Mandya City Municipal Council president Vijayalakshmi Raghunandan and others were present.
