Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, May 7: State PWD minister, Dr H C Mahadevappa, said that the union department of road transport and highways has given its nod for upgradation of seven state highways with a total length of 2,108 km into national highways. He was speaking to media representatives in Vidhan Soudha here on Tuesday May 6.
He informed that about Rs 25,000 crore would be invested for upgradation, land acquisition, and construction of the above highways in the coming two to three years. He thanked union minister for road transport, Oscar Fernandes, for giving permission for upgradation of state highways in Karnataka on such a large scale for the first time during the last 65 years.
The minister said that the announcement made by the union ministry relating to this decision on March 4 got final approval at the last meeting of the union ministry for highways held at New Delhi on Monday. He also added that the state has approached the centre with a proposal to upgrade four more state highways into national highways.
The roads to be converted into national highways are NH 50 with a length of 680 km, which connects NH 161 to NH 48 from Bidar, Humnabad, Gulbarga, Hospet and Laxmisagar, NH 150A from NH 50 at Jewargi to Chamarajanagar via Srirangaatna, Mysore and Nanjangud (638 km), NH 206 which connects Tumkur and Shimoga via Arasikere (203 km), NH 173 from Moodigere to Chikmagalur and Kadur (72 km), NH 275 from Bantwal to Bangalore via Mysore (367 km), NH 367 from Kukanur to Gadanakeri via Bagalkot (156 km), NH 150 E from Gulbarga to Akkalkot in Maharashtra via Afzalpur (104 km), NH 169 from Thirthahalli to Udupi via Agumbe.