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<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The Union ministry of road transport and highways has given its nod for the upgradation of NH 212 that connects Mysore to Kozhikode in Kerala. The INR 498.29 crore project is seeking to beat the election code likely to be imposed from March by completing the tender formalities within February and taking up works like shifting of electric poles and cutting of roadside trees by then.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">That is good news. The bad one is that the plans to expand the workable Mysore Airport have been hit with the go-ahead for the NH 212 upgradation given that the land required for the expansion of the airport lays on the other side of the highway. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which has Okayed the expansion plan and assigned funds for the job, is seeking the state government to realign a stretch of NH 212 between Mysore and Kadkola to allow it to extend the runway. As per the upgradation project, the existing stretch between Mysore and Kadkola will be four laned.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">However, PWD minister H C Mahadevappa said the airport expansion plan is not feasible. &quot;We&#39;ve report from experts that the Phase II of the airport is not feasible,&quot; he told reporters after holding a meeting with the senior officials led by DC C Shikha. Chamarajnagar district minister H S Mahadeva Prasad and Chamarajnagar MP R Dhruvanarayan were present.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The Union road transport and highways minister Oscar Fernandes has approved the upgradation project on December 31. Unlike earlier when the ministry had planned to take up the project on PPP model, it is funding the project that will see the busy Mysore and Nanjangud road upgraded to four lanes while the rest of the 129 Km stretch will be upgraded. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has estimated that INR 353.38 crore is required for the upgradation works. INR 65 crore is set aside for preconstruction works which includes shifting of electrical installations and axing of roadside trees.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Referring to the Lok Sabha polls, the PWD minister said, we&#39;ve to implement the project without further delay as it could be further delayed owing to model code of conduct ahead of the parliamentary polls. We are launching the works from early March.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Dhruvanarayan said the entire project will be delayed if they don&#39;t launch the groundwork soon. If we have to rework the project to allow the expansion of the airport, it will jeopardize the entire project. Once the AAI indicates that it will launch the Phase II of the airport, the state government will provide the alternate route by realigning the stretch between Mysore and Nanjangud, he stated.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Source-On Request</span></span></span></p>