National Highway connecting Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu being considered

Kerala: A five-day route-study trip which covered 700 kilometers has been successfully completed by an action committee based out of Kanjangad. The study was conducted to push for a National Highway with a shorter distance which would connect the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

A feasible road which would commence from Kanjangad and culminate in Chennai via Panathur (Kerala), Siddapura, Bhagamandala, Periyapatna, Mysore, Hunsur, Mandya, Hosur, Bangalore (Karnataka), Krishnagiri, Yercaud, Velloor and Kancheepuram (in Tamil Nadu), has been vouched by the twelve member committee.

As per the committee:

The committee has expressed confidence in its proposed route to be a feasible alternative. If constructed it would also be unique and connect the Bay of Bengal with the Arabian Sea. The route is being favored by the committee as almost ninety per cent of the proposed route already possesses roads of highway standard while bus services are available in the remaining ten per cent of the route.

In order to upgrade this route into an Interstate road, the respective state governments of the three states have to interlink and undertake the widening of these roads.

The hilly and remote areas of the three southern states along with the western, Eastern Ghats as well as the Deccan plateau would be connected through the proposed route. Furthermore, overall development would be heralded to the hitherto neglected areas by the proposed road.

The proposed road:

Of the 700 odd kilometers which the route would cover only 120 kilometers requires to be widened while around 250 kilometers of the route passes through the areas of Mysore and Kodagu. The stretch from Siddapura to Periyapatna is the only exception where there are hardly any roads.

Environmental concerns:

The committee has absolutely no apprehension of any environmental bottlenecks as hardly six kilometers is passing through forest periphery along the Bhagamandala portion. Although, the project would require the felling of a few trees, it would be a small price to pay considering the project’s enormous possibilities.

Report submission:

A comprehensive report which would list out all the benefits of the road is scheduled to be published and handed over to the same to the Minister of Union Transport as well as the Transport ministers of the three states by the action committee soon. Apart from significantly reducing the distance between Chennai and Bangalore, the route is also being conceived as a national integration route.