Rebuffing criticism that the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway was scientifically flawed, Pratap Simha Mysuru MP, said here on Wednesday that all the accidents taking place on the road were due to reckless driving.
He told mediapersons that a section of the media was describing the infrastructure project as a ‘’killer road’’ without analysing the reasons for the accidents and added that such labelling was erroneous and false.
‘’People should be aware of the optimal speed limit of their vehicle beyond which it can become unstable. The expressway is designed for an optimal speed of 120 kmph but not many vehicles are steady at high speed and the motorists should be conscious of the upper speed limit and drive cautiously,” said Mr. Simha.
It is a road and not a race course and only a few high-end vehicles have the stability at top speed. Most of the accidents have taken place due to the motorists losing control of the vehicle, crashing into the divider, and bumping into oncoming vehicles on the other lanes, according to Mr. Simha.
Instead of driving at high speed, a nominal speed of 80 kmph will ensure a safer journey and enable the motorists to cover the distance between the two cities in 90 minutes, said Mr. Simha.
The MP said if the flaws in road engineering, geometry, and design could be pinpointed and dubbed as unscientific, then the necessary corrections would be carried out.
Flaws in DPR
However, Mr. Simha said the original DPR was faulty as there was no provision for exit and entry points at various towns along the way and an additional ₹480 crore was being spent on land acquisition to provide for entry and exits. In addition, flyover near Manipal Hospital, overbridges, underpass, rest areas etc. were being taken up and their completion will take another 8 to 10 months, he added.
He also alleged that the State government had stopped funding for various projects taken up during the BJP rule and blamed it for the lack of lighting along the Outer Ring Road in Mysuru.
Similarly, many of the projects, including the Haleunduwadi drinking water project, Jal Jeevan Mission to Hunsur, international cricket stadium in Mysuru, diversion of highway for airport expansion, peripheral ring road etc. were hanging in balance and required the State government’s intervention and cooperation, he added. Also, the international cricket stadium needed 26 acres of land and all that is required is the Revenue Minister’s approval, said Mr. Simha.
He said for the sake of the development of Mysuru, he was prepared to engage with the current government despite political differences and would meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in this regard.
