From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Dec 10: Union Road Transport and National Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who held a review meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa over the progress of the national highway projects and land acquisition in Bengaluru on Tuesday, said the government would be spending over Rs 1 lac crore on national highway projects during the next five years.
Warmly appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre for allocating Rs 2,150 crore for this year’s plan for the road works for the State, Yediyurappa prevailed upon Gsdkari to enhance the current year’s sanction ceiling limit to Rs 3,919 crore.
The Chief Minister informed Gadkari that 80 per cent of the land acquisitions had already been completed.
The Union Minister, however, made it clear that projects that have obtained the green signal from the Union Environmental Ministry would be taken up.
The review meeting was held a day after the Yediyurappa-led four-month-old BJP government saw a spectacular victory in the by-elections, winning 12 out of the 15 Assembly seats, which were won by Congress and JD(S) in the 2018 assembly polls. The Yediyurappa regime has now obtained a clear majority in the 224-member House, crossing the halfway mark with 117 MLAs.
Suburban Rail Project
On the Bengaluru suburban satellite town ring road project, the minister said the Centre would bear the land acquisition cost for the portions that have already been taken up. However, the State Government had been asked to provide available governments as its 25 per cent share of the land acquisition for the remaining portions.
A revised detailed project report for the long pending Rs 17,000 crore suburban rail project submitted by the State Government was being examined and will be initiated after the completion of the land acquisition process.
The revised detailed project report (DPR) proposes an estimate of 55-odd suburban railway stations covering a distance of about 150 kms and the project is to be executed through the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (K-RIDE).
Gadkari indicated that a DPR for taking 2,300 kms of national highway works for development at a cost of Rs 50,000 crore in the State was being prepared, and the works will be taken up after the completion of land acquisition and Union Environmental Ministry’s approval, he said.
He said the royalty exemptions in respect of sand, stones and the GST on account of steel and cement would be treated at the share of the State Government. A comprehensive agreement covering all these issues, which is being worked out by the Central and State government officials, would enable commissioning of nearly Rs 6,000 crore worth of work.
The Union Minister said the land acquisition process has been taken up for the development of the Solapur-Kanarwal highway. Tendering process has commenced for 6-lane works on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway, which is being proposed to be transformed into an excise highway.
He asked the State Government to take up economic development activities along the highway to ensure its full development as a commercial hub.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister Govind M Karjola and Large and Medium Industry Minister Jagadish S Shettar.
The meeting also had top contractors in attendance who were in charge of these projects. These contractors were asked to complete the existing works as soon as possible.
The Union Minister and the Chief Minister also attended the Ex-Con 2019 programme organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, CII President Aman Choudhary and Director K Ramesh participated.