Project runs behind schedule due to protests, land issues

Mysuru: Work on the much-awaited Mysuru-Kushalnagar Access-Controlled Highway is facing several hurdles, with the project making slow progress and completion date likely to be pushed further. 

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has achieved only 26.25 percent physical progress in three years and seven months on the 92.3-km highway. 

Designated as National Highway-275, the Rs. 2,502.04 crore project is aimed at providing an alternative to the existing, heavily congested two-lane Mysuru-Madikeri Road. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project at Mandya on Mar. 12, 2023. 

The project is being executed in five construction packages. Sources told Star of Mysore that work on several packages is well behind schedule and the delay is likely to push the completion date further. 

Data from April to October 2026 shows that construction progress across the packages has averaged less than 2 percent a month. Work on some stretches has barely moved during this period. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Vilas P. Brahmankar, Regional Officer (Karnataka) NHAI, Bengaluru, said that public protests demanding continuous service roads were one of the main reasons for the delay. Work in Packages 4 and 5 was stopped for eight months following the protests, they said. 

“Work has not picked up and the project is likely to be completed in August or September 2027,” the officers said. 

Land acquisition hurdle 

Incomplete land acquisition is another major problem holding up the work. While 95 percent to 98 percent of the land has been acquired across different stretches, the remaining portions are yet to be acquired. This has left gaps in the project and affected the progress of construction. 

Work has also been affected by pending documentation for forest clearances and Pollution Control Board approvals required to set up quarries. Frequent changes in project directors have added to the delays, affecting coordination and execution. 

Sources said, pending quarry clearances, minor land disputes and delays in obtaining Forest Department approvals, particularly around Bannikuppe and Periyapatna, have also held up construction. 

Five packages and levels of progress 

The project has been divided into five packages. 

Package 1 covers the 22-km stretch between Kushalnagar and Madikeri. Work on this stretch is yet to begin as the proposed alignment passes through dense forest areas and is awaiting environmental clearance. 

Official data shows varying levels of progress in the remaining four packages. 

Package 2, costing Rs. 585.84 crore, covers 22.7-km from Guddehosur to the Hassan-Periyapatna Road Junction. It has recorded 20.88 percent progress till October 2026. 

Package 3, costing Rs. 575.9 crore, spans 24.1-km from Hemmige village to the Ramanathapura-Terakanambi Road and K.R. Nagar Junction in Hunsur. Work on this stretch has reached 35.19 percent. 

Package 4, costing Rs. 650 crore, covers 26.5-km from the Ramanathapura-Terakanambi Road and K.R. Nagar Junction to Yalachahalli, near the Yelwal-K.R. Nagar Road Junction. It has recorded 25.56 percent progress. 

Package 5, costing Rs. 690.3 crore, extends for 19-km from Yalachahalli to the Srirangapatna bypass near Paschimavahini. Work on this stretch has reached 23.37 percent.