Mysore/Mysuru: What was meant to be an Economic Corridor that would herald progress, the 10-lane Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway project has turned into a battleground of sorts between political rivals BJP and Congress. At ground zero, these political opponents have been taking pot-shots at each other to take credit for the project.
Two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to dedicate the Expressway at Gejjalagere near Mandya, the BJP and the Congress locked horns over credit for the project. The Congress is attempting to steal the limelight from the BJP which is aiming to make inroads into the Vokkaliga heartland of Mandya belt, focussing on the development plank and citing the example of the Expressway project.
Walking on the 118-km Expressway for about 500 metres near Siddalingapura this morning, former PWD Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, his followers and members of the Congress party gave full credit to former PM Manmohan Singh, former UPA Government, former CM Siddharamaiah and former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes for the project and dismissed the efforts of MP Pratap Simha, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA Government.
“It is our project and the BJP, the NDA and the MP have done nothing,” said a dismissive Mahadevappa, speaking to reporters at a private hotel after his walk. “The UPA Government changed and whoever would have governed India after the UPA would have completed the project. There is nothing special in it. The Congress and the UPA are the brains of the project,” he said.
Releasing a press statement with lots of dates and other technical details, Dr. Mahadevappa said that the earlier State Highway 17 that connected Mysuru and Bengaluru was upgraded to a National Highway on 4.3.2014 during UPA-2 and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared to further upgrade the Highway.
“The new Project Coordinator Office for the Expressway was opened at Ramanagara and initially the Government of Karnataka gave Rs. 20 lakh to open the Office. Later, the Government of India reimbursed the Rs. 20 lakh in 2017. Land acquisition was initiated during 2015-16,” Mahadevappa said.
Dismissing the claim of the BJP that the project was taken up exclusively by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the former PWD Minister said that the State Government (Congress) had a major role to play in the land acquisition, project planning, traffic analysis and data collection.
“The project was taken up by the UPA as per the DPR and the initial estimate was Rs. 3,000 crore. “The BJP escalated the cost to Rs. 9,551 crore and it will take Rs. 12,000 crore to fully complete the project,” Mahadevappa said. He, however, did not elaborate if the UPA Government could have completed the project with Rs. 3,000 crore.
The Congress team said that the toll from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta has been fixed at Rs. 135 and till Mandya it is Rs. 165. “As per the NHAI notification, the toll for one side is Rs. 300 and a to and fro journey will cost Rs. 600. In fact, the toll must not be higher than Rs. 120 on one side,” Mahadevappa said.
He added that the project was being inaugurated in a hurry. “Let them provide entry and exit points at all towns. Here they have favoured one hotel near Siddalingapura and provided a direct entry and exit while they have not provided similar facility to farmers despite protests and demands,” Mahadevappa alleged.
Bharat Mala Project is the brain child of Sri. Atal Bihari Vajapayeeji. Mysuru Bengaluru expressway is a part of it. People of Karnataka had to wait till BJP came back to power to see the implementation and successful completion and delivery of the project. Credit goes to Sri. Atal Bihari Vajapayee, our Hon’ble PM Modi, Sri. Gadkariji and the relentless efforts of Sri. Pratap Simha. Our MP Sri. Pratap Simha took it up as his life mission and ran from pillar to post to deliver this great piece of infrastructure. People are thankful for ever for this Government for this critical expressway which will change the face of economy of the State of Karnataka.
Congress has always been a party with a lot of visions. They are like Srinivasa Ramanujan the math genius who in his cryptic deathbed theory has been proven correct recently and scientists say it could explain the behaviour of black holes. You can see the same genius in Rahul Gandhi too. His ancestors dreamt that Gareebi can be removed. Similarly congress dreamt a lot of great things like roads, factories , projects, and put foundation stones to thousands of projects. They are like pure scientists and their plans could not be implemented because people were incompetejt and technology was not advanced. Bjp has these advantages and implemented most of the Congress made plans. So congress should get the full credit not bjp. Siddu is another visionary who thinks Tippu constructed this 10 lane highway. Can’t help admire his visionary ideas.
Some say Congress did not eradicate poverty as Indira gandhi promised. Totally wrong. When Rahul gandhi said poverty is a state of mind, poverty just flew out through the window.
Some critics say Bharath Jodo is a nonsense! Wrong again. Only genius minds like Rahul can see the fissures in Bharath. And it needs a sharp brain and vision to see it. Fortunately some of our leftists, Chinese and Pakistanis and liberal media have it. That is why they want to fix it before it becomes a big problem. And Rahul is not afraid to take the help from US,UK, China and even Pakistan. That is the hallmark of of a genius . He was seen signing an MOU with China whom Modi government consider as an enemy.