Wanted: Infra-suture!

A slew of projects that can take the focus away from Bengaluru by developing other regions are either delayed or in cold storage.
Pumpwell Flyover in Mangaluru, the construction of which began a decade ago| Rajesh Shetty Ballalbagh
Pumpwell Flyover in Mangaluru, the construction of which began a decade ago| Rajesh Shetty Ballalbagh

For politicians and planners in the state, unfortunately, Karnataka is Bengaluru. That is probably because 59% revenue comes from Bengaluru (thanks to IT,industrial and research centres). But it is time the government looked at the districts, like Mangaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Kolar and Dharwad, where infrastructure projects are delayed or left in cold storage.

Some of the road projects where attention should be paid are: 168.3-km ring road by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Belagavi; improvement of 23 km of Shiradi Ghat where tenders for Rs 1,000 crore were called; widening of NH-75 between BC Road and Addahole; improvement of Rani Chennamma Circle in Hubballi; and upgradation of dilapidated bridges in Udupi.


The Rs 8,000-crore Bengaluru-Mysuru six-lane corridor, which will facilitate vehicles to zoom at 100 km/hr, has faced land acquisition hurdles. Divided into two phases, the 117-km expressway will have a 56-km Bengaluru-Nidaghatta section (Phase-I) and a 61-km Nidaghatta-Mysuru section (phase-II) Work on the first phase began in mid-2019, while the second phase, which was to be operational from November 2018, is yet to begin. “Only 55% of land for the second phase has been physically handed over by NHAI, and 33% is still to be handed over,” said a source.

Not having paid attention to these means that although the government is trying to take industries to these districts, it is lacking because of poor infrastructure. Commuters, stakeholders, experts and even department officials say the government must pay equal attention to improve air, road and rail transport at the earliest across Karnataka — not just in and around Bengaluru.

A PWD official said, “Land acquisition is the major reason why many projects are slow and do not take off. The government offers compensation based on the guidance value rule of 2014, but the market price is very high. Same is the case with national and state highway projects. Though the roads are laid by highway authorities, land acquisition has to be done by the state, where delays happen.”

LOPSIDED-DEVELOPMENT
Many today quote and mock the decade-old example of Bengaluru-Chennai travel time. It takes 4 hours, 15 minutes to travel from Koramangala to Oragadum Industrial Estate in Chennai by road — despite five toll booths where a total of about 40 minutes is spent. But it takes not less than six hours if one travels by air, as reaching airport from Koramangala itself takes one-and-half hours (sometimes even two). While the government must focus on improving Bengaluru’s traffic conditions, it should lay parallel focus on improving connectivity to major district centres, says Muralidhar Dhuddu, former member, Planning Board of Karnataka, and chairman, Sir MV Economic Research Centre, Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

States like Telanagana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha are progressing and have shown that with good infrastructure and political will, development can happen. This must happen here too.Ullas Kamath, president of The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Karnataka, says the government should not focus merely on roads. It should also focus on how airports and aviation infrastructure can be strengthened. Since there is exponential growth in Bengaluru, the government should focus on developing cities like Mangaluru, Mysuru and Hubballi. These places have many educational institutions and a large workforce also comes from there. The government should develop them, so that pressure on Bengaluru is significantly reduced.

While importance is being given to roads, air connectivity is also important and in today’s world, where time is money, this is all the more crucial. The government should focus on development of airstrips in Karwar, Chikkamagaluru, Madikeri, Raichur, Gadag, Bagalkot, Davanagere, Shivamogga and Udupi. But the initiative must come from the state government, which is slack, says Dhuddu.
Kamath also points at lopsided infra development, saying it is the mindset of people and government that once layouts and areas are developed, infrastructure (roads, rail) should be improved. But it has to be the opposite, says Kamath.

The government should focus on improving infrastructure first, and so far, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) has been unable to form townships, as is the case with Nelamanagala, Kanakapura, Magadi, Anekal and Hoskote. He says Karnataka should follow the Navi Mumbai and Gurugram model, where entrepreneurs, industrialists and many others do not go to Mumbai or New Delhi for meetings. Instead, cities have been developed around the airports where meetings and business happens. But in Bengaluru, this has not happened.The government should develop the right side of the airport (towards Devanahalli) instead of focusing on the city.

NEW PROJECTS OKAY,BUT WHAT ABOUT ONES IN HAND?
Recently, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari reviewed roads works in Karnataka. He gave approval for the construction of a six-lane express highway between Pune and Bengaluru and between Solapur and Kurnool via Kalaburagi. He also approved the development of a four-lane, 220-km highway between Tumakuru and Shivamogga (Rs 3,269 crore). Gadkari also announced release of Rs 395 crore as central share under the Central Road Fund for 2019- 20.

He had also announced that national highway works worth Rs 7,200 crore will be completed by 2019-20. He laid out the annual enhancement layout plan for the year 2019-20 from Rs 2,150 crore to Rs 3,919 crore. He also sanctioned Rs 25,000 crore to take up highway projects in the state to NHAI. Experts say that while new projects are welcome, the state government should focus on improving and speeding up ones which are already in their hands.

In Bengaluru, for example, a government official said, “The government is spending Rs 340 crore for white-topping less than 1km of road. Instead, it could have saved the money to take up land acquisition work of the 12-year-old Peripheral Ring Road project.” The government is not keen on handing over work to Nice Enterprises, which has already completed half the loop from Tumakuru Road to Hosur Road. Apart from improper public coordination, it was lack of money which stalled the elevated corridor project worth Rs 26,960cr.

Due to various constraints, infrastructure projects across the state have overshot their deadline by many years, impacting economic growth and improved connectivity. The foremost among pending railway projects in the South Western Railway Zone is the dedicated Suburban Rail Project for Bengaluru. Originally proposed 36 years ago, the Rs 15,990-crore project is in the final stages of commencement. It is expected to take another decade before it is fully completed. In the SWR alone, 21 other projects have been pending for long, either due to delay in land acquisition or the need for clearances from the forest department. Among the key projects are: Hotgi-Kudgi-Gadag Doubling (only 14.65 acres of 123.83 acres handed over so far); Hosapete-Hubballi-Londa-Tinaighat-Vasco Da Gama Doubling (25.83 acres of land requiring forestry clearance in Uttara Karnataka district); Hubballi-Chikajajur (only 29 acres handed over of 88.16 acres needed) and Yelahanka-Penukonda Doubling (only 2.35 acres of 4.61 acres handed over). A few other projects awaiting sizable portions of land are: Gadag-Wadi new line,  Hubballi-Ankola new line and Bengaluru-Chamarajanagar/Satyamangalam new line. Railways is also being given less importance, and the government says it is because of the involvement of the Union government.

20 yrs up, and still running in rings
Hassan: The 110-ft Ring Road between Salagame Road and Sakleshpur Road has been stalled for two decades. The Rs 10-cr  project is hanging fire due to negligence by netas, besides lapses on the part of Hassan Urban Development Authority, as officials allegedly failed to release aid for land owners. Farmers, who had decided to give land for the project, are furious with the authorities for failure to reach a consensus. HUDA acquired the land in 1996, but stopped work after developing the stretch between Dairy Circle and Salagame Road five years ago.

It’s a squeeze under rly bridge
Mysuru: One unfinished project that’s forgotten is widening of the road below the railway overbridge, near Metagalli GRS theme park. It is a black spot in the Ring Road project as the four-lane road squeezes to barely two lanes under the bridge, which is yet to be widened. Railways says NHAI has to widen the bridge, but so far, no such proposal have been moved. This Railways-NHAI confusion has hit traffic and tourist flow. Talk on construction of a grade separator near JSS College and Bogadi Junction has been on for seven years, but there has been no action.

PUMPWELL of a PROBLEM !
Mangaluru: If there is one project which can enter the Guinness World Records for being under-construction for the longest time, it has to be Pumpwell Flyover. Work began a decade ago and the project got delayed owing to land issues and faulty design. NHAI is sure of completing the works by December-end. A 23-km long tunnel in Shiradi Ghat was planned more than five years ago. In 2018, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said tenders worth Rs 10,000cr  will be floated in six months. However, the project has not made any progress. Another project, which was taken up more than 3 years ago, is the widening of NH-75 between BC Road and Addahole. The Rs 821cr is mired with problems related to land acquisition.

Kalaburagi’s RAILWAY DIVISION DREAM
Kalaburagi: Railway Division was sanctioned for Kalaburagi when Mallikarjun Kharge was the Railway Minister in the UPA regime. He even released an initial grant of Rs10cr and the State provided 43 acres of land. But the current government has put the project on the backburner stating procedures weren’t followed. The Centre sanctioned National Investment and Manufacturing Zone to the district in 2014.  The State government also undertook a techno-feasibility study through Infrastructure Leasing and Finance Services at a cost of Rs 10cr. The NIMZ is expected to attract Rs 25,000cr  investment and provide 1 lakh direct jobs and 1.60 lakh indirect employment. The Centre is yet to gives it final clearance.

A RING ROAD FOR BELAGAVI
Belagavi: NHAI issued notification in January 2018 and decided to acquire 427.17 hectares in 30 villages for the construction of the 68.3 km six-lane ring road around Belagavi city. But farmers are against the project saying fertile land will be acquired. They have demanded that the action plan be changed to take up the road project in the available barren land. Many farmers have  approached the courts and have succeeded in getting a stay.  While Sambra airport has been selected under UDAN-3 and air connectivity has improved, residents want a direct air link between Belagavi and cities like New Delhi and Kolkata.

SORRY STATE OF BRIDGE
Udupi: A dilapidated bridge constructed across the Kamini River in Padubidri about 25 years back is a reminder of the hollow promises made by our netas. Even though two MLAs of Kaup have performed the ground-breaking ceremony for a new bridge in the last two years, there are no signs of it taking shape. PWD sources said Rs 1.5cr was sanctioned in 2018, but the tender was not floated because of model code of conduct ahead of the Assembly polls. The cost has now been revised to Rs 3cr. PWD officials have also sought additional funds to construct a new bridge, but the state is yet to give its nod by releasing the necessary funds.

HUBBALLI’S Long WAIT FOR FLYOVER
Hubballi: The flyover project at Rani Chennamma Circle was announced over a decade ago to decongest traffic near the circle as several roads, including NHs, meet here. It gained momentum in 2016 after Union Minister Nitin Gadkari promised funds. Earlier, Gadkari had given in-principle nod for Rs 150cr. However, the Siddaramaiah government delayed the submission of DPR. As the Centre asked for a few changes in design, the redesigned DPR was sent to the Centre for administrative approval.
N M Kulkarni, executive engineer, NH Division, PWD, said, “The regional office
of the Surface Transport Ministry found faults with the design and the project consultant corrected it. Now, it has been submitted again.”

WILL SHIVAMOGGA GET WINGS?
Shivamogga: The completion of projects such as the Shivamogga Airport and Shivamogga-Harihara railway line is a distant dream. Work on the proposed airport has been pending since 2008. However, on Saturday, a meeting chaired by CM BS Yediyurappa revised the cost from Rs 40cr to Rs 150cr and said construction should gain momentum at the earliest. Meanwhile, the Shivamogga-Harihara railway line, which aims to connect Shivamogga and North India through direct trains, has been pending since 2011. Not an inch of land has been acquired for the project by the state government. Shivamogga is the CM’s home district.

FOREST-INFRA TIFF
Madikeri: Even as the Geological Survey of India has declared several places in Kodagu as eco-sensitive, road and railway projects are being taken up by the Union and state governments in the district. In February 2019, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha revealed that a railway line till Kushalnagar has been sanctioned. A stay order has been passed by the High Court following a PIL by environmentalist Col Muthanna. Meanwhile, even as the four-lane NH project from Kushalnagar to Madikeri has been sanctioned by the Union government, work hasn’t begun.

Big delay, big cost for rail projects
Tumakuru: The Tumakuru-Davanagere railway route, commissioned in 2012, was approved in principle to provide land free of cost to the Railways. The project cost was 50:50 (state:railways). The 199.7-km stretch will be implemented at a cost of Rs 1,980cr, but cost may escalate due to the delay. In Tumakuru, 135 acres was acquired for about 12km. It is expected to reduce travel time by up to 1.5 hours between Tumakuru and Davanagere. The 207-km Tumakuru-Rayadurga (AP) railway project, commissioned in 2007-08 at a cost of Rs 997cr, has touched Rs 2,062cr.

(With inputs from S Lalitha)

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