MYSURU: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway will contribute to the development of the state and boost tourism.
Speaking at the launch of the Mysuru-Bengaluru Corridor at Gejjalagere in Maddur, he said, “With the launch of the expressway, there will be an increase in the number of tourists from within the country and foreign nations visiting Mysuru and it will also contribute to the development of the state. Tourists can travel in an hour between the cities without any traffic problems.”
He said the expressway project faced difficulties at the initial stage as fertile land had to be acquired from farmers for the construction of the highway. “But the state government acquired the land required from farmers. An additional Rs 4,000 crore was released by the central government to acquire the land. The highway will also generate employment. It will connect Tamil Nadu on NH 209 and Kerala on NH 212. There will be restaurants, parking space, gas stations, food court, washrooms and stalls to sell traditional products of Mysuru,” he said.
On the Mysuru-Kushalnagar Corridor project, he said the 93 km stretch, which will connect Bengaluru and Mangaluru, will boost the economic activity in the region. “The journey between Mysuru and Kushalnagar will be reduced to half from five hours saving fuel and reducing pollution. As Coorg is rated as one of the top hill stations in the country, it helps travellers to reach their destination easily.
The government is giving highest importance to infrastructure development. The Chennai-Bengaluru-Surat expressway will connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Already, 50 per cent of the work has been completed and the remaining work will be completed by the end of December,” he said.
He said the Centre is spending Rs 70,000 crore for the construction of Outer Ring Road for Bengaluru which will be completed by March 2024. “The ring road will reduce the problem of traffic jams. It will also help travellers to connect to the highway to travel towards Mysuru.
The government has invested Rs 2 lakh crore for infrastructure projects in the state and by 2024, nearly works worth Rs 3 lakh crore will be taken up by the government,” he said. He said IT Capital Bengaluru is the growth engine of the country and Mysuru represents the history and culture of the state.