Bengaluru, Sept. 9:
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has decided to upgrade National Highway starting from Goraguntepallya, and promised to take a decision regarding appointing an agency to fix the cables, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Talking to reporters after chairing a meeting of PWD, BBMP and Finance Department officials here on Friday, he said instructions are given to send proposal on how to improve National Highway projects in Karnataka. It has been agreed to give a few concession for STRR related to Bengaluru.
Auditing of drainage system Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway 
The CM said the drainage system on Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway would be audited to find out where all the UGD needs to be widened, increasing gradient and other bottlenecks. With this the capacity of drainage will increase. It has also been decided to reduce the distance of arterial roads which connects to Chennai Express, Mumbai Express and Hyderabad Express and passes through roads in Bengaluru. There is a need to construct flyover and underpass at a few places of High Density Corridor on national highways. The places where the skywalks needed are identified. Most of the projects which were discussed today were of emergency in nature. The union minister has promised to give immediate sanction if the plan is prepared within one and a half months. The endeavor of the government is to start the works from the current year and is working in this direction.
According to discussions they had, the estimate list must be submitted and finalised then the Union Ministry of National Highways will released grants.
Bommai said the government intends to have an authority for all transport facilities exclusively for Bengaluru, and a bill in this regard will be tabled in the next session of the State Legislature. For this, several agencies have to work in coordination. Several works are now pending due to lack of coordination. A legislation will be implemented to have an authority for Bengaluru alone, he added.
The CM said the union minister has promised to complete the Shiradi Ghat Road at the earliest and new national highway proposals will be brought under the Central Road Fund.
Bommai said arrangements are going on for Janaspandana and it will be held at 11 am on Saturday. Union Minister Smriti Irani has confirmed here participation in this event.
