Siddaramaiah to inspect 10-lane expressway ahead of inauguration by PM

BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Karnataka on March 12 to inaugurate the 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Dharwad. Meanwhile, in what seems to be war to claim credit, Opposition leader in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, has declared that he will undertake an inspection of the expressway three days prior to the inauguration.

Speaking to media persons in Mysuru on Monday, Siddaramaiah said he will conduct quality checks of the construction work. He claimed that the road was upgraded from a State Highway to a National Highway when he was Chief Minister and H C Mahadevappa was Public Works Department minister.

Siddaramaiah claimed that the 10-lane expressway was proposed by the Congress government in the state and was even approved by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry when Oscar Fernandes was the minister. Hence, the credit should go to the Congress party and not to the BJP government, he stressed. “It is a dream project of the Congress government. Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha has no role in the construction of the 10-lane expressway or in getting approval from the Union government”, he noted.

Siddaramaiah also announced that he will hold a press conference on March 9 at Siddalingapura near Mysuru. He will conduct a survey of the expressway to check for any loopholes in construction work and will present a report on its quality, ahead of Modi’s visit.