Protesters block Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway demanding underpass

The police appealed to the villagers to vacate the road. However, the protesters refused to budge, stating that they had already given a representation to the authorities on the need for the underpass eight months ago. Farmer leader of the region Madhusudhan said an underpass was built 1 km away from the village, serving no purpose.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials informed the protesters that a proposal for the underpass was pending before it and construction would begin once the project was approved.

As the demonstration continued, the police resorted to lathi charge to evict the protesters and cleared the highway for traffic movement. Ten people leading the protest were taken into preventive custody but were later released.

Reacting to the incident, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha said m the Karnataka State Farmers’ Association had made the demand for the underpass, and it had been communicated to the NHAI. The matter would be resolved after the road construction was completed.

However, the farmers objected, stating the assurance was made eight months ago but nothing really came out of it.

The 117-km expressway is being built at Rs 8,408 crore in two packages. Out of the total length, 52 km is greenfield consisting of five bypasses to reduce traffic congestion in the towns.

The project under the National Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI) hybrid annuity model (HAM) costs around Rs 8,066 crore and the project’s contractor is Dilip Buildcon Ltd. The road is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities from 150 minutes to 90 minutes.