State seeks Japanese help to build 20-km tunnel in Western Ghats

The Karnataka government is planning a 20-kilometre long tunnel between Sakaleshpur and Gundya in the Western Ghats to provide a speedy connection from Bangalore to Mangalore. The project is estimated to cost Rs 3,000 crore and will be built with financial and technical assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda said here on Thursday.

“We have planned to develop this tunnel to give a speedy connectivity between the two cities with the help of the Japanese government. This tunnel project is part of the 4-laning of the existing national highway that connects Mangalore with the state capital. The road will stretch up to the New Mangalore Port. The state government has already held first sitting with the officials of JICA and they have agreed to finance the project,” Gowda said.

Presently, the National Highway-48 passes through the thick of Western Ghats and the road constantly gets damaged due to heavy vehicular movement and heavy rains during monsoon season at Shiradi Ghat causing immense disruption to vehicles. The National Highway Development Authority repairs this road frequently, but no permanent solution has been found, industry sources said.

Addressing the annual southern regional council meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), here, he said the infrastructure development department is working on strategic infrastructure plan to ensure best infrastructure for industry. A separate bill for infrastructure is on the anvil to boost infrastructure and enable private participation and to mobilise resources.

The state has established a Skill Commission to address the needs of industry. The state has also taken up upgrade of industrial training institutes with private participation to ensure quality manpower, he said.

“I am glad that a recent World Bank study has recognised Karnataka as the number one investment-friendly state in India and it has been our endeavour to make Karnataka one of the best investment destinations in India,” Gowda added.

Speaking on the occasion, Murugesh R Nirani, minister for large and medium industries, said the government was keen on developing a Peninsular Industrial Corridor from Chennai to Pune and Mumbai, which will pass through Bangalore and Belgaum in the state. This will provide vital connectivity to several industrial areas in the state enroute, he said.

“We have commissioned a feasibility study to include other important upcoming industrial clusters like Tumkur, Chitradurga, Dharwad and Bagalkot in this industrial corridor which will be developed on the lines of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor,” Nirani said.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, G V Sanjay Reddy, chairman, CII southern region, said CII was keen to partner state government to promote Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor and Aerospace Park in Bangalore. He urged the government to announce an Aerospace Policy immediately to promote the industry in Bangalore.