With 2017 drawing to an end, the state has a lot to look forward to in the new year. The assembly elections occupy top spot as voters will elect a new government into power after five years of Congress rule. However, there are many other issues that citizens are hoping will be resolved in 2018.
From new Metro coaches for women to a new massive bus stand in Mangaluru, here are a list of things you can expect to see in 2018.
Big 3 brace for big fight
The state will head to polls in April-May this year, with analysts predicting a close contest between the two national parties, BJP and Congress. While Congress is keen on ensuring a repeat of its 2013 performance in the Assembly, BJP is hoping to rule the state again. Despite initial hiccups for BJP in their ‘Mission-150’ in Karnataka, the party is hoping to put a strong show to dethrone the Siddaramaiah-led government.
Separate Metro coaches for women
With the daily average ridership reaching around 3.5 lakh, no one can deny the fact that Namma Metro has become heavily crowded. However, 2018 will bring a sliver of hope for those commuters who find themselves jostling for standing space in the Metro as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd will begin augmenting the trains with three extra coaches -- which means each train will have six instead of the present three coaches. This will also hopefully mean that women passengers may get a dedicated coach in each train.
Wanted: Station for private buses
A private bus stand is something that Mangalureans have always looked forward to. The absence of such a facility in a city where private buses outnumber state-run ones, has inconvenienced citizens. At present, while intra-city buses operate from State Bank area in CBD, the inter-city buses occupy roads and footpaths in busy junctions, adding to congestion. Citizens hope to see the bus stand in 2018 as the government has given approval for a `400 crore project on a new private bus terminal.
Church Street with a makeover
Work on fixing this famous street, home to several pubs, restaurants and offices and upgrading the pavements to TenderSURE specifications, began early this year and has been progressing at a snail’s pace. While initially the work was to be completed in a few months time, BBMP is now planning to open a section of the street between Brigade Road and Rest House Crescent road for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Everyone hopes that the BBMP is able to stick to its January 2018 deadline.
Pumpwell flyover may be launched
After missing several deadlines, the flyover at Mahaveera Circle (Pumpwell Circle) in Mangaluru where two national highways -- 66 and 75 -- meet, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018. Due to various reasons, the much-awaited flyover has missed several deadlines. The junction, which is one of the major entry/exit of city, witnesses traffic jams all through the day and its impact is felt onconnecting roads during peak hours. The problem is compounded as the flyover work is going on at a slow pace.
End to traffic mess on ORR section
This vital link from Deve Gowda petrol bunk to Nayandahalli Junction on Mysuru Road has been choked because of work on an underpass as well as a flyover for over a year now. The road witnesses high volume of traffic which is forced to fit into just one lane ahead of major signals, as the other lane is barricaded for road work. With only two junctions remaining blocked, residents hope that 2018 will put an end to traffic jams on this stretch.
Fixing Mysuru road JAM
From traffic jams that stretch for kilometres to sudden bottlenecks and horrific accidents in the past few years, this road has seen it all. Residents who live nearby say the road has never been the same after Metro work commenced here. While Phase-I work ensured that the stretch from Sirsi Circle Flyover till Nayandahalli was jammed for years, now Phase-II work till Kengeri has taken the traffic jams a few kilometres further. However, with work on Namma Metro Phase-II progressing at an accelerated pace, motorists are hopeful that the hated barricades will be taken down as soon as possible and that the road would be relaid as well.
Parents await Uniform school fees notification
Every year, parents of school-going children pressure the government to act on the astronomical school tuition fees. The issue of uniform school fees has been pending since 2015. With schools choosing to hike fees by around 30% every year, the cost of education has increased sharply and now parents shell out anything between `40,000 and `3 lakh per year for their children’s education. School management associations, however, are opposing the move stating that the government cannot fix a fee for schools. However, parents are hopeful that this will be finally notified this year.
Jayadeva Hospital in Mysuru
In what may take the city of palaces to a notch higher on the health front, a state-of-the-art Jayadeva Hospital being built on the premises of PKTB Sanatorium on KRS Road will be a reality in 2018. The 350-bed hospital of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiological Sciences and Research, being built at an estimated cost of `150 crore will be equipped with facilities to conduct cardiac and open heart surgeries. The existing hospital on the premises of K R Hospital is a 110-bed facility with minimum facilities to diagnose and treat heart-related ailments at the initial stage, with an estimated 300 to 400 cathlab procedures being done in a month.
Mysuru awaits its first flyover
This project, which entails a flyover at Hinkal in Mysuru where Hunsur Road and the Ring Road meet, was taken up by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in 2014 under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. MUDA had assured that it will finish it within a year. Presently, MUDA has finished only 50% of the construction work on this flyover. Thousands of vehicles travel through Hunsur Road to reach Kodagu, Mangaluru, Kerala and other places. Once the flyover is ready-- scheduled completion by June 2018 -- this junction will be free from traffic congestion.
Cable car ride to Nandi Hills
The city’s favourite morning/weekend drive destination is scheduled for a major makeover in 2018. Plans to install cable car ways at Nandi Hills and restrict the movement of vehicular traffic, both of which will provide environmental benefits besides making the hills more attractive to tourists, are expected to be completed in 2018. The hills, located just a little distance from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), see a lot of tourists flocking to it because of the cold misty mornings. Cyclists too visit the hills on weekends for a leisurely ride. The Tourism Department has planned to have two parallel ropeways carrying multiple cable cars, each of which can seat 20 people.
Fewer potholes, smoother ride
With potholes on city roads claiming several lives over the past few years, the news of white topping has come as a welcome intervention by the BBMP. However, the attitude of motorists who had to travel over the selected roads changed quickly as sections of the road were closed for days. The BBMP finally gave in to pressure and suspended the works on several roads, leading to more confusion and anger. In 2018, citizens hope that white-topping will be completed and that this will finally give us a safe and smooth ride on the city roads.
Full-time V-CS for universities
In 2017, seven universities across Karnataka were functioning without full-time vice-chancellors. While this might not affect the day-to-day lives of students, the post of a vice-chancellor is important as it affects the image of the university. Institutions functioning without heads currently include the Tumakuru and Mysuru universities as well as the Karnataka Law University and the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) in Bengaluru.
Water from Tungabhadra for Davanagere, Harihar
A project to make Tungabhadra river water available to residents of Davanagere and Harihar is expected to be completed in 2018. The project, building of a barrage across the river at Rajanahalli village, was a hot topic of discussion in 2017 and residents of both towns are hoping work will be done in 2018.
Munirabad -Mehaboob Nagar train service
Year 2017 proved to be so-close-yet-so-far for Gangavati in Koppal district with the Munirabad -Mehaboob Nagar train service going off track at the eleventh hour. In fact, the service was commissioned partially between Koppal and Gangavati a few months back and railway authorities promised to run a train up to Gangavati by 2017-end. Meanwhile, Railway Board took a decision not to facilitate tracks until ongoing track overhauling was completed across the country.
Mahamastakabhisheka: The big event
Celebrated once in 12 years, Mahamastakabhisheka is a grand ceremony where the Gomateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola is anointed with water, turmeric and sandal paste. The event will be held from February 7 to February 26. A large number of Jains from different parts of India pour in to worship their Theerthankara. You can also watch the event live in Virtual Reality (VR) format from the comfort of your homes.
Hubbali-Dharwad BRTS may finally start
The Hubballi-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), which is progressing at a snail’s pace and missed many a deadline, is likely to be operational from April. The Rs 900 crore project, of which Rs 690 crore was World Bank assistance and Rs 210 crore was contributed by the state government, will reduce travel time between Hubballi and Dharwad significantly. All the works related to the project have been fast-tracked, and land acquisition has already been completed.
Taluk status for Kolar Gold Fields
Taluk status for Kolar Gold Fields,which has been a long-standing demand of people in KGF, is expected to be announced this year. The people of the city have been demanding taluk status since the city has great significance and is identified as a gold mining hub. This will save people the trouble of going to Bangarpet to get their work done. The announcement is now likely to be made on January 27 and will be a great New Year’s gift to the people of KGF.
Flyover at Bhagamandala and Talacauvery
The famous pilgrim places Bhagamandala and Talacauvery, which attract a large number of tourists but suffer from bad roads during the rains, will soon get a flyover. Tenders have been invited for a flyover of 5.5 metres height and a total length of 960 metres which will help prevent the area from becoming an island during the rains. With the ‘bhoomi pooja’ to be held in a month’s time, people are hopeful that the district’s first flyover will be ready in 2018.
24 yrs after, Kalaburagi may get its airport
The people of Kalaburagi have been dreaming of getting an airport for 24 years and it is likely to materialise in 2018. The proposal for the Kalaburagi Airport was first made in the early 1980s. However, the proposal to establish airport on this land was dropped after Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the site acquired was unsuitable. Now the Kalaburagi district administration says it will complete all the works on the airport by February.