The Hindu Business Line : Karnataka mulls legislation for widening roads

TAKING a leaf from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the Public Works Department in the State is considering legislation to facilitate and speed up road widening works in Bangalore.

The Department is also contemplating framing a policy on planning roads and infrastructure that will look at the traffic needs 20 years ahead, according to the Public Works Minister, Mr H.D. Revanna.

Mr Revanna spoke to presspersons, after inspecting Bannerghatta Road and Airport Road and assessed the progress of road improvement works. He said that many IT sector players too were now keen to participate in infrastructure development in other parts of the State as well.

The PWD has meanwhile successfully roped in the private sector in developing, improving and maintaining roads in Bangalore and the rest of the State. It has got three real estate developer firms, Mantri Housing, Adarsh Builders and Prestige Group to commit around Rs 17 crore for finishing the roads in Bannerghatta and Sarjapur roads. The Rs 34-crore project has Bangalore Municipal Council pitching in with Rs 3 crore, and the PWD will bear the remaining cost.

The PWD Secretary, Mr P.B. Mahishi, said the Department was keen to have a blueprint for infrastructure development with a holistic approach. "Having only flyovers is a bad idea. We need to have a combination of flyovers, wider roads, and work out the right of issues with other agencies like the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board," Mr Mahishi said.