FM sets deadline for Devanahalli projects

FM sets deadline for Devanahalli projects
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Lack of proper connectivity to the Devanahalli International airport, which is nearing completion, has now become a matter of grave concern to the Union government.

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who held a high-level meeting with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and top officials to review major development projects on Friday, expressed deep “concern” over the slow pace of all proposed airport connectivity projects — the 26 km expressway, the high-speed rail and BIAL’s trumpet flyovers, a top official source told Deccan Herald.
Official sources said that PWD officials tried hard to convince Mr Chidambaram by haranguing him about work being done on several state highways and district roads connected to the airport, but the Union minister was far from being convinced. Mr Chidambaram asked the State government to hasten the work on these projects and try and complete them within the next nine months — to coincide with the completion of the airport work, sources added.
Ironically, though the greenfield international airport will be operational in about nine months from now, the airport connectivity projects roads will not be complete. While the expressway and high-speed rail projects are yet to see the light of day, the trumpet flyover project has hit a roadblock as one of the three road-over-bridges has been mired in land related litigation. The 26-km BMRDA airport expressway has been entrusted with the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL). The expressway is proposed to start near the Hennur-Challakere Stretch on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and then pass through Bidarahalli, Chikka Gubbi, Bagalur to reach Devanahalli. Due to land acquisition problems, KRDCL has not been able to take up the project.
When contacted, PWD Secretary Sudheer Krishna, however, said that both the State and the Union governments shared the concern over the delay in taking up these projects. “We have explained in detail the reasons behind the delay and asked for help from the Centre to speed up the projects,” he added. One of the main demands by the State to the Centre was to include land acquisition cost also for viability gap funding (VGF). “The cost of the project, estimated to be Rs 400 crore, is almost equal to the land acquisition cost. Hence, there is some hitch. Mr Chidambaram has agreed to examine it,” he stated.
Sources also said that National Highway Authority had agreed to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed satellite ring road (STRR). “Once the DPR is ready, we will take up the project,” official sources said.