South India�s road to future may soon be completed

February 16, 2008

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South India�s much-touted road to the future may be finally here. Industry in Bangalore is pushing for the completion of the expressway between the city and Mysore.

After 13 years, work is speeding up on the road connecting Bangalore and Mysore, popularly known as the Bangalore Mysore infrastructure corridor or BMIC. The road will cut the driving time from the three and half hours to just 90 minutes.

The BMIC is still mired in controversy over land acquisition but all that may change soon. We hear from sources that the governor of Karnataka is taking a special interest in the project and the sudden activity on the project is partly due to pressure from the industry. Sources say the governor is speeding up land acquisition and clearances from forest, revenue and other departments. And though nice officials declined to comment on camera, they say they are glad that industry is finally taking a stand.

“I think it’s the single most important project for Bangalore. It will not only provide more employment but also improve the quality of life of the people of Bangalore. ” says Mohandas Pai, director-HR, Infosys.

“If you want private players to develop roads, the government has to address these land issues very seriously.” Adds Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon.

The Nandi infrastructure corridor enterprise had envisaged a four-phase project that included a 111-km super expressway to Mysore with 5 satellite towns on the way, a 41 km peripheral ring road on the outskirts of Bangalore and a 9.5 km connecting road to the expressway.

Today only two stretches of the peripheral ring road are open and the company is not collecting toll, as the link is not complete. But despite losses of over Rs 10 crore a month, officials are glad there’s been some progress.

Source: moneycontrol.com