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Exciting - Karnataka's own NHDP !!
Written By silkboard - 29 January, 2009
Infrastructure PPP Road Works KRDCL Roads Analysis highway Karnataka Transportation Infrastructure
I am a bit surprised that mainstream media is yet to show serious interest in a PPP proposal to develop 66000 kms of roads in Karnataka. I first heard about this mega plan about two months ago, and finally, yesterday, half page ads appeared in newspapers with more details. Sounds exciting isn't it, promise of connectivity, and its about the whole state, not just Bengaluru. Call it Karnataka's own NHDP of sorts. Plan is to modernize roads, not build greenfield roadways. Highlights, here they are:
- 10000 km of state highways & District Roads, and additional 12600 km of rural roads
- Talk of a 2nd phase of 40000 km and a 3rd phase of 16000 km, no break up of phases that I know of yet
- KRDCL will be the nodal agency
- The promise is "all weather, access controlled ... road network with minimum 7 meter carriageway"
- 4-6 lanes as approaches to urban settlements
- By-passes and Ring Roads for urban areas with pop > 1 lakh
- Service area every 50 km
- PPP model, developer gets 1 acre of land for every 5 km of road
- Despite this being a PPP, there is talk of tolls, and operationalizing a Karnataka Road Fund (KRF)
- Highway patroling with GPS, vehicle breakdown & ambulance facilities
- Service roads, underpasses for vehicles and pedestrians, cattle passes, barricades
Not mentioned in the ad, but Mr Arvind Jadhav had said that they would promise four lane connectivity to any location with Rs 100 Cr+ investment proposal Mr Jadhav' has also talked about focus on quick connectivity to Bangalore from sorrounding areas and cities (like Tumkur, Hassan, Shimoga) to help decongest the capital city.
All in all, the promises are just too exciting! Look forward to more details in the newspapers, and to hearing more from our ministers. There is a lot to digest, more comments after we understand this better.
Some quick questions I got right now are:
- Will the state be building roads parallel to Existing National Highways. Meaning, will we see a new option besides NH4 for going to Hassan, or an alternative to NH48 for going to Mangalore?
- What are the timelines for this project? No dates given for 1st and 2nd phases (there are phase 3 and 4 as well)
- Around land acquisition - any new laws to do this amicably?
- Any plans to speed up work on NHDP stretches in the state, progress has been slow when compared to Tamilnadu and even AP.
- Will road stretches be split out by government (aka KRDCL) into smaller packages and handed to private parties? Or are private parties free to come forward and pick the stretches they want to work on?
- Private parties will prefer working on high volume or high growth potential stretches, isn't it? What are the provisions to make sure the interest is spread evenly across big and small town connectivity?
- Any thoughts on modernizing toll collection via wireless cards or cellphones? It will be best to force standards here at the outset itself?
- Good fast roads will require a modern highway police - any plans to create a Karnataka Highway Police (KHP) like new body?
- Who will be the planning authority for area around the roads? How will the state prevent "Ribbon Development" around the upgraded roads this making it difficult to control access to them?
Look forward to this exciting project, I mean it.
COMMENTS
srinidhi - 29 January, 2009 - 10:32
do we make them all pay toll?
first give them jobs to earn a decent salary to afford two sqaure meals!
The govt coffers are empty and they go announcing such PPP's to spend nothing and get name!
Think Kheny instilled this idea in the govt to make a real estate racket of the western ghats where he plans a highway from blr to mangalore!
murali772 - 29 January, 2009 - 09:40
My big worry as a tree lover is that road widening is going to result in the destruction of thousands of avenue trees. Yes, they will promise to plant saplings in the ratio of 1: 10 etc. But, how many of these will survive and grow up to become trees is a big question mark. And, after those that survive, and have grown into trees, it will be time for widening the road further, and chopping off even these trees therewith. I am not sure I find the idea very exciting.
Besides, good connectivity cannot be ensured by having wide roads. What is more important is good bus services. And, if that remains a government monopoly, the whole idea is even less exciting. If the license-permit raaj is dismantled, and the 'public' proper (unfortunately termed 'private') facilitated, this deficiency can be overcome in a matter of months. That should be the first priority.
Muralidhar Rao
s_yajaman - 29 January, 2009 - 12:35
SB,
Look at our track record.
a. Bangalore Mangalore Highway - Shiradi Ghat. They cannot maintain a 20 km stretch in good shape for more than 3 months
b. NH-4. Only unfinished stretches are in Karnataka. Hubli-Haveri is one. I think there are a couple of others. This is 4 years behind the revised schedule.
c. NICE- look at the mess. We have not been able to resolve that 500m stretch called Gottigere.
d. Look at the Bangalore Mysore road via KPura and Kollegal. Miserable.
e. Mysore Ooty road for the first 5 km after Gundlupet. Miserable. And this leads to a famous wildlife sanctuary.
What are we going to do differently this time? Or are we just dishing out big plans to distract people from the current mess. They announced the 6 laning of Bangalore Hassan long back. I see even now details of land acquisition. STRR seems to have vanished from all news.
Srivathsa
Vasanth - 29 January, 2009 - 13:31
Uncontrolled and Unpatrolled roads will become race tracks for the youth. Basically in India, people just not commute in their cars, they want to enjoy, in otherwords 'maze' from the drive at high speeds. Car drivers and passengers loose their precious life because of this 'maze' driving.
Bangalore-Mysore for example was earlier mostly travelled by Trains because of lack of good road. As soon as the road was 4 laned and clean cement road was laid, people started driving to Mysore. This resulted in too many accidents mostly car accidents. Bus related fatal accidents reduced, it is mostly 'touch' accidents for the buses, but the car fatal accidents have increased too much. But, 4 laning has resulted in lots of developments on either sides of the road and lot many hotels have cashed in. It is the accidents which worries me.One of our close family friend's mother died on Bangalore Mysore road and his father permanently disabled. My friend bought a new Swift and was driving from Mysore to Bangalore. A truck took reverse in a U turn near Mandya which was not anticipated by my friend. Truck hit the car which was at 100 kph. My friend's mother passed away on the spot, father permanently disabled, daughter who was sitting in the front was about to loose her eyes from the broken glass piece, friend fully fractured. This incident makes me to think twice before travelling by Car for not to loose near and dear ones.
Tolling is a good thing to reduce the cars and making people travel by Bus or Train therby safeguarding them.
Today's TOI or DH has got statistics from Nimhans which says 30% of the patients admitted are related to highway accidents.
silkboard - 29 January, 2009 - 05:28
Want to add that information I posted above are based on two sources
- Arvind Jadhav's talk to BCIC Infra Committee back in December
- Half page ad in Business-Standard, Jan 27, Bangalore edition, page 14
I was waiting for a mainstream newspaper to carry more details, but don't see any good reports yet.
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