Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 8: PWD minister, Dr H C Mahadevappa, said that the work on widening of B C Road - Hassan stretch of national highway 75 towards converting it into four-lane road will begin in March this year. He was replying to a question raised by MLC, Kota Srinivas Poojary, during the question hour in the legislative council session on Tuesday February 7.

"Contract for widening of this highway between Hassan and Marnahalli has been bagged by Isolux Corsan company whereas the road widening between Addahole and B C Road will be undertaken by L & T. While Isolux has been given two years to complete the work, L & T will get 30 months to finish this work," he explained.

Poojary felt that the government has been overlooking the fact that there is a provision for laying the road straight instead of the current winding road at Gundia. He also said that if the road widening between Hassan and Sakleshpur is undertaken by acquiring government land, cutting down of thousands of trees can be avoided. He also pointed out that the second phase development of the road at Shiradi Ghat is pending, and the contract given earlier stands cancelled, duly wondering when all these works will be taken up and completed.

The minister clarified that the contract given earlier for second phase road development was cancelled on January 4 as the contractors failed to complete at least nine crore worth of road works comprising ten percent of the project cost within the allotted time. "The contract has questioned this cancellation in court, and the hearing is posted for February 16," he said. About widening of road inside forest, he clarified that in ghat areas, only 8.5 metre-wide roads can be laid as per provisions.