An expressway under water

After the recent flooding of some stretches of the ambitious Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway, the NHAI has come under severe criticism for flawed design, blocking natural drains, and encroaching upon waste weir of lakes

The much-hyped Bengaluru–Mysuru expressway project has been in the news for all the wrong reasons these days. After the heavy rain that lashed Ramangaram district earlier this week — on August 29 — motorists using the under-construction expressway had a harrowing time. After the underpasses were flooded, vehicles were seen submerged on the flooded road at Sangabasvana Doddi.

The impact was such that cranes had to be deployed to shift the vehicles that broke down in the floodwaters. Traffic snarls forced the district administration to impose diversions and ask motorists not to use the expressway.

Last week too, the district authorities imposed diversions after several stretches of the expressway were inundated. As videos of flooded roads and traffic snarls went viral, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) came under severe criticism from various quarters, accusing it of implementing a flawed design, blocking natural drains, and encroaching waste weir of lakes.

Naveen Gowda, who was stuck in the traffic for hours, said, “People had no option but to leave their vehicles at the underpass after getting stranded in the floodwaters. It is evident that blocking natural drains or not providing proper channels for the flow of rainwater resulted in the flooding. Officials should take corrective steps before opening the expressway.”

The NHAI had awarded the project of implementing the 117-km-long expressway in February 2018. The 10-lane expressway is expected to reduce the travel time to 75 minutes between Bengaluru and Mysuru. Initially, a 30-month deadline was set for completing the project. As per the previous deadline, the entire stretch was supposed to be open for motorists before Dasara, but the NHAI is set to miss it. Officials are confident of opening the Bengaluru–Nidaghatta stretch by September 25 and are aiming at opening bypasses before Dasara. By the year-end, the NHAI is likely to complete the civil works.

The former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy alleged that the unscientific implementation of the project had led to the flooding of the road. “Mindless quarrying and extraction of sand while implementing the project disrupted the flow of water. The project was also responsible for the inflow of more water into Bakshi Kere that breached its bund. In Ramanagaram, Jolappana Kere too was impacted by the highway work,” Mr. Kumaraswamy said. He took a dig at Member of Parliament Prathap Simha, who had downplayed the highway works as the reason for the flooding, by saying that instead of building roads, the NHAI had built swimming pools on the highway.

On Thursday, Mr. Simha told the media that experts from the NHAI and others had inspected the highway stretch that was inundated. “Due to torrential rain, there was a heavy flow of water from Ramadevara Betta. Encroachment of nalas enroute disrupted the flow of water, resulting in inundation of the underpass.” He maintained that people having suspicion over poor work of the expressway were free to get a third-party audit done. The contractor implementing the project was liable to keep the road in good condition for 15 years, he added. Meanwhile, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he would meet Union Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding the recent flooding of the highway.