Mangalore, June 24: The runway of the Mangalore International Airport will be extended from 2,450 metres to 3,560 metres, for which 285 acres of land will be acquired said Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M Veerappa Moily.
He was briefing media persons on the upcoming developmental projects in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, after chairing a review meet on various projects and issues, at the Deputy Commissioner's office here on Monday
Once a proposal has been sent to the Airport Authority of India, a project report should be prepared and sent, before the commencement of the work, Mr Moily said.
Development projects
Mr Moily said that a 'Greenfield Highway Corridor' project to connect Chennai and Mangalore through Bangalore, which had previously been debated about, would be given momentum for better inter-port connectivity. This highway corridor would offer better connectivity between the two ports, he said.
He said that a proposal had been placed with the NHAI to upgrade the stretch linking Bangalore-Mysore and Madikeri-Mangalore and convert them into national highways. The proposal has been extended to Mangalore-Belthangady-Chikmagalur stretch also, he said.
Similarly, the four-laning of the road from Mangalore to Karkala via Moodbidri has also commenced, in the first phase. A proposal to convert the road from Bantwal to Hassan into a four-lane highway had been handed over to the NHAI. Officials have been also directed to take steps to hasten the widening of the national highway between B C Road to Suratkal. A proposal to concretise the Suratkal-Jokatte stretch has also been put forward, he said.
New railway routes
Mr Moily said that two new railway routes in the twin districts, which had been included in the railway budget two years ago, would soon be established. Work on railway routes linking Kulur-Karkala-Uppingady and Padubidri-Karkala-Moodbidri-Venoor will soon commence. A survey had been conducted on the feasibility on the routes and the Railway Minister had given his nod for the project, he said.
MSEZ-MRPL issue
On issues regarding Mangalore SEZ and MRPL, Mr Moily said that the areas along Jokatte – Kulai had been inspected and discussions were held to prepare a blueprint of the region, seeking better roads, rehabilitation and employment of the local families.
The issue would be examined closely by the district in-charge minister, deputy commissioner, MLAs and other senior officials in the next ten days, so that the matter will be resolved in 20 days' time, said the minister.
He said that Rs 1 crore had been sanctioned to the blood bank at the Government Lady Goschen hospital in the city. The construction work of the new block of the hospital is being done at a good pace and the block will be fully completed by December 2014, he assured.
To check sea-erosion along the coastline of the state, a project sponsored by Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be taken up at the cost of Rs 911 crores in the three coastal districts in three phases, he said.
After mulling over the project, a proposal has been sent to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to construct a tunnel through the Shiradi Ghats along the Mangalore-Shimoga route for better conveyance of traffic along the route. A Japanese company had been called upon to undertake the tunnel work, he said.
Minister for Fisheries Abhaychandra Jain, MLA Moideen Bava, Deputy Commissioner N Prakash and others were present.
Work unitedly
Earlier, he visited the DK District Congress office in the city and advised the party members to work with unity and integrity.
Adderssing a press conference, he directed the ministers and MLAs to form a committee to study and list out the developmental plans that required attention in the twin districts, so that he could provide necessary assistance in the same.
Comments
Add new comment