Karnataka govt's big infra push ahead of assembly elections

The stage is set for the inauguration of the 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway as Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on his sixth visit to the poll-bound Karnataka this year on Sunday.

The Prime Minister will lay foundation stones for key projects and inaugurate the Expressway in Mandya and Hubballi-Dharwad worth Rs 16,000 crore. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office, Modi will dedicate and lay the foundation stones of key road projects in Mandya at noon. Thereafter, at around 3.15 pm, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of various development initiatives in Hubbali-Dharwad, the statement said.

Less travel time

The Expressway project involves six-laning of the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru section of NH-275. The 118-km-long project has been developed at a total cost of around Rs 8,480 crore. It will reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around three hours to about 75 minutes, the statement said. It will act as a catalyst for socio-economic development in the region, it said.

Also read: Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway will contribute to Karnataka’s growth: Modi

Earlier in the day, Modi tagged a tweet by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari who said the construction of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, which encompasses a portion of NH-275, entails the development of four rail overbridges, nine significant bridges, 40 minor bridges, and 89 underpasses and overpasses.

The PM will also lay the foundation stone of Mysuru-Khushalnagar four-lane highway. The 92-km-long road project will be developed at a cost of around Rs 4,130 crore. The project will play a key role in boosting connectivity of Kushalnagar with Bengaluru and will help halve the travel time from about 5 to only two-and-a-half hours, it said.

To open IIT Dharwad

In Hubbali-Dharwad, the prime minister will dedicate IIT Dharwad to the nation. The foundation stone of the institute was laid by Prime Minister Modi in February 2019. Developed at a cost of over Rs 850 crore, the institute currently offers four-year BTech programmes, inter-disciplinary five-year BS-MS programmes, MTech and PhD programmes.

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The Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation the longest railway platform in the world at Sri Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Station. The record has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records recently. The 1,507-metre-long platform has been built at a cost of about Rs 20 crore.

The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation the electrification of Hosapete-Hubballi-Tinaighat section of the railway network and the upgradation of Hosapete station for boosting connectivity in the region. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of various projects of Hubballi-Dharwad smart city. He will lay the foundation stone of the Jayadeva Hospital and Research Centre coming up at a cost of about Rs 250 crore.

Prime Minister’s presence in Mandya assumes significance from political point of view in the poll-bound Karnataka where the general assembly elections are due in May. At this crucial juncture, the party could persuade the Mandya independent MP Sumalatha to announce her full support to the BJP ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the district.

(With Agency inputs)