Sad state of affairs
MYSURU: Hours after Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari announced that works on the proposed 23.6 km long Shiradi tunnel road project in Sakaleshapur of Hassan district will be taken up at the earliest to cut travel time between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, activists urged him to reconsider the project.
On Saturday the minister said land acquisition for the Rs 10,000 crore project is in progress.
Activist AN Yellappa Reddy said the central government should reconsider this project as it will have a devastating effect on the entire stretch of the Western Ghats region. “Yettinahole project has already caused huge damage which can’t be reversed. This tunnel road project is not required at all. The project will cause permanent damage to this sensitive eco zone. The central and state governments must not implement any new projects in this region,” he said.