HOSUR: A project to build 100-foot inner ring road in Hosur was proposed 26 years ago, the government acquired land 22 years ago, preliminary works started 15 years ago, but the project is yet to be completed. This is probably the most delayed project in the State and yet another example of how government funds are wasted due to project delays, said Rasmi Manjunath, a local Congress leader. The delay has escalated the cost by more than 10 times. Only half the road is laid so far. The Tamil Nadu government had proposed to build a ring road around Hosur to avoid vehicles from Bangalore entering Hosur town. About 40,000 heavy and light commercial vehicles from North India and bound for various parts of Tamil Nadu cross Hosur every day from Bangalore. Initially, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) took up the project. The project cost was estimated at Rs 79.20 lakh in 1986-87. As the NHAI did not start the work immediately, the government’s revised estimate in 1993 put the cost involved at Rs 194.32 lakh - more than what was originally planned.
The project was awarded to a contractor through tender and work started in 1996. But NHAI discontinued work after building a mud road and a few bridges in Ramanaicken lake. The work was stalled due to delay in land acquisition from the Railway Board and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.
Meanwhile, the contractor withdrew from the project citing escalation cost of construction material. Later, it was handed over to the State Highways Department. In 2000, the government once again revised the estimated project cost to Rs 5.62 crore. Last year, the government directed the then Krishnagiri Collector V K Shanmugam to submit a report on the project, after Express reported on government lethargy in its November 3, 2009, edition. Shanmugam, besides submitting the report, took immediate action to restart the project. He made the Highways Department float tenders in December last to implement the project on a war footing. It was awarded to the successful bidder in January this year and the work started in February. K Govindarajulu, ex-Congress councillor, said the public believed the road would be opened for traffic in three months, but the administration failed in this regard. The work has been stopped after completing the 5 km stretch from ESI Hospital to Thally Road. The work on the remaining 3.5 km stretch connecting Thally Road, Denkanikotta Road, Railway Station Rroad, Royakotta Road and Krishnagiri Road has not yet started, he added.. The farmers who have offered their lands for the project are planning to approach the court seeking their lands. Meanwhile, a group of public servants are planning to file a Public Interest Litigation against the Collector and Highways Department for incurring huge loss to the government by delaying a major road project.
