Bengaluru: The widening work of the Mysuru-Bengaluru National Highway (NH) at a cost of Rs. 6,800 crore will begin from September this year, said Public Works Minister H.D. Revanna.

He was addressing a media conference here yesterday and said that he held discussions with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in Delhi who has given his approval for the project.

Nearly 63 per cent of land has already been acquired and in another ten days 17 per cent of the acquisition will be completed. Later, the BESCom cables, water pipes and telephone cables on the Highway will be removed. In a few places the permission of the Forest Department is required for acquiring the land and all necessary arrangements are being made to resolve the issues, he said.

The work on the six-laning of the Highway which is expected to cut the travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes, will be taken up by the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) and quality work will be ensured with the State Government keeping a check, he said.

According to Revanna, the original deadline for the completion of the work was three years, but the Bhopal-head-quartered Dilip Buildcon who will execute the project is supposed to be the best in the country and they have been asked to complete the project within two years.

The NHAI has divided the work into two packages and one is Bengaluru-Nidaghatta (56.2km) and Nidghatta-Mysuru (61.1km), he said.

The Central Government has given Rs. 37,000 crore for National Highway work. Of this, NHAI is taking up projects costing Rs.27,000 crore and Rs. 10,022 crore will be utilised by the State to develop 466.84 km National Highway roads that pass through Kodagu, Shivamogga, Mysuru, Belagavi, Tumakuru and Chitradurga districts, he said.

On the occasion he also said that he was not interfering in the works of the other departments. “If I have written a letter to the Muzrai Minister regarding the work in our department, how can it be called interference,” asked Revanna.

He also declined to comment on the promotions and demotions effected in his department as the matter relating to reservations in promotions was being heard in the Supreme Court.