Poojary hopes Forest Department facilitates widening of key highway stretch

Kota Srinivas Poojary, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP, connected Friday, expressed the assurance that the Forest Department volition facilitate the widening of the 29 km Mala Ghat agelong of Mangaluru-Solapur National Highway 169 betwixt Mala Gate successful Karkala taluk, Udupi district, and Tanikodu Forest Check Post successful Sringeri taluk, Chikkamagaluru district.

The MP spoke portion inspecting the agelong that passes done the Kudremukh National Park via S.K. Border, on with officials from the Forest Department and the National Highways Division of the Public Works Department. The road has been widened to 2 lanes with paved shoulders betwixt Shivamogga and Tanikodu Check Post via Tirthahalli, and was successful the process of being widened to 4 lanes betwixt Karkala and Mala Gate.

Mr. Poojary said the connection to widen the road betwixt Mala and Tanikodu (29 km) to 2 lanes with paved shoulders astatine an estimated outgo of ₹550 crore was earlier the Union Road Transport Ministry.

Single lane

At present, the agelong remains a azygous lane connected the undulating terrain betwixt S.K. Border and Tanikodu, with small abstraction for question erstwhile 2 dense vehicles look each other. The agelong betwixt Mala and S.K. Border and further towards Kudremukh has been made into a two-lane road acknowledgment to KIOCL’s earlier mining activities.

The ghat agelong betwixt Mala and Tanikodu has been a important transition betwixt the seashore and the hinterlands, particularly erstwhile Agumbe Ghat was experiencing dense traffic. Not galore drivers instrumentality this way due to the fact that of the 29 km single-lane stretch.

50 acres land

Mr. Poojary said the contented could beryllium resolved if the Revenue Department hands implicit astir 50 acres of onshore to the Forest Department successful speech for wood onshore to beryllium utilised for the roadworthy widening. The MP said helium has scheduled a gathering with the Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner connected Saturday to benignant retired the issue.

Bridges

PWD officials said the authorities had sanctioned the reconstruction of 3 large bridges connected the stretch, including Gulagunjimane and Korkanahalli, earlier. The bridges person go astir dilapidated implicit the years. However, the aforesaid could not beryllium executed due to the fact that of objections from the Forest Department.

Mr. Poojary hoped that the widening enactment would soon commencement with the speech of gross onshore for wood land, thereby reviving the connection that was stalled mode backmost successful 1999.