Bengaluru: Over 55 percent of the works of Mysuru-Bengaluru Economic Corridor project have been completed and the project will be dedicated to the nation in February 2022, announced Deputy Chief Minister Govind M. Karjol who also holds the Public Works Department portfolio. 

Making an announcement in this regard in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, the Minister said that the project will be completed ahead of scheduled date of September 2022. “The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has considered the road as Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai Economic Corridor — Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I — and the road is being developed to meet world-class standards. It will be completed in the next 11 months and the works are being done on a war-footing,” the Minister stated. 

Responding to the question raised by MLC Marithibbegowda, the Minister said that the project is estimated at Rs. 7,400 crore and works are underway in two packages — Bengaluru to Nidaghatta in Maddur taluk at the cost of Rs. 2,190 crore and Nidaghatta to Mysuru at the cost of Rs. 2,283 crore. 

Over 67.5 percent works have been completed in the first package and 50.5 percent of the works have been completed in the second package,  the Minister informed. 

Once the project is completed, it will take just 90 minutes to traverse between the two cities as against the present 3-hour journey, Karjol said. The scope of the work also includes construction of nine major bridges, 44 minor bridges and four road over bridges and road under bridges. 

The 10-lane Highway also includes two service roads on either side and wherever the works have been completed, vehicles are being allowed to travel. This has considerably reduced the traffic density between the two cities, he told the House. 

Once the road works are complete, the National Highways Authority of India will decide on the toll. “The Expressway will not in any way hinder the movement of the residents and villagers along the stretch as  good roads, cross-overs and bypasses have been constructed all along the Expressway,” Karjol said. 

Blacklisting contractors

The State Government is mulling on permanently blacklisting all contractors who bag tenders but sublet them to others, Karjol said. 

He said the law is clear that contractors who bag tenders should not sublet works. However, he agreed with Congress member M. Narayanaswamy that this practice is rampant. “When a contractor sublets works, interests of two contractors have to be safeguarded with the available money, and that definitely impacts the quality of work,” he said, adding that blacklisting contractors will put an end to the practice.

Leader of Opposition in the Council S.R. Patil pointed out that Government agencies like Nirmithi Kendras and Land Army routinely sublet works to private contractors. “While there are hundreds of engineers in these organisations, there is no machinery and other in-house infrastructure to carry out works. Once a work is allotted to these agencies, they cut 24 percent and sublet it to private contractors, who have to now work in 76 percent of the funds for the work,” he said.