Mulki-Polali-Kateel-Mudipu-Tokkottu four lane road

Team Udayavani, Jul 24, 2019, 3:13 PM IST

Mangaluru: Apparently, the road map of the four-lane model ring road costing Rs 2,800 crore that aims at easing the vehicular pressure on national highways in Dakshina Kannada district has faced several objections. Hence, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has reportedly decided conduct a re-survey of the road map.

The plan was for the construction of a ring road built via Mulky – Polali – Kateel – Mudipu and Thokkottu at a cost of Rs 2,800 crore. Since the cost of the road is high, the authority decided to change the road map and accordingly sought fresh survey of both the roads and file full report. Incidentally, union minister Nitin Gadkari, had laid the foundation stone for the road for which a detailed project report had been prepared in the past and now the authority wants resurvey the very same report.

NHAI argues that with the original plan, the existing roads would be widened, resulting in the project becoming expensive due to land acquisition. Besides it would also attract many legal hurdles. Therefore as a solution, the authority points out that if the route is laid on greenbelt basis, more areas get a chance of development and land acquisition would become considerably less.

The previous plan included a 1.5km long flyover for Kateel, a separate bridge at Kateel and a flyover at Bajpe. A flyover over NH 169 was also planned, but an MP objected to the plan of NHAI to build two roads. Therefore, the authority now plans to conduct detailed study of the two roads including private land to be acquired, buildings which will face demolition, and other details.

MP Nalin Kumar has explains that the  ring road plan will not be changed, and NHAI has been told to move ahead with the original plan of widening the existing roads for which foundation stone was laid by the union minister.