Regular commuters want a faster but safer commute between Mysuru and Bengaluru

Mysuru On August 3, Mahesh, a young graduate, boarded a KSRTC bus from Mysuru to Bengaluru to attend

On August 3, Mahesh, a young graduate, boarded a KSRTC bus from Mysuru to Bengaluru to attend an interview in the afternoon. But, with stretches of Mysuru–Bengaluru highway inundated, the bus was forced to take a detour and it reached Bengaluru only after a six-hour-long journey through narrow rural roads of Mandya and Ramanagaram districts.

When techie Faisal Nisar set out for Bengaluru from Mysuru on August 27 for a weekend get-together with his friends, he was prompted on Google Maps to take a deviation at Srirangapatna and reach his destination via Nagamangala, Bellur Cross, Kunigal, and Nelamangala.

For several days during August, stretches of the under-construction Mysuru–Bengaluru highway were flooded in parts of Mandya and Ramanagaram districts after a downpour lashed the region, forcing many commuters in private vehicles, taxis, and State-owned KSRTC buses to take alternative routes between the two cities.

Instead of taking a detour after reaching the flooded stretch and enduring an agonising and prolonged journey through the rural roads, many commuters preferred to take an alternative route soon after starting from Mysuru via either Bellur Cross or the Malavalli-Kanakapura road to reach Bengaluru. KSRTC officials too said buses towards Bengaluru plied on the Malavalli–Kanakapura road on days when the regular highway was flooded.

While a few travellers said they enjoyed the refreshing experience of the alternative route, others said the alternative roads were narrow and the diversion led to congestion.

Though sources in Mysuru division of Railways said there was a small increase in the footfall at Mysuru City Railway Station from where more than 20 trains ply to Bengaluru daily, Mysuru Airport Director R. Manjunath said daily flight operations from Mysuru to Bengaluru, which leaves at 4.55 p.m. on all days except Tuesday when it leaves at 2.55 p.m., saw a rise in passenger traffic by 10 to 15% with the increase in booking showing up mostly at the eleventh hour.

The traffic disruption on the highway last weekend too disappointed the tourism industry in Mysuru, which was looking forward to an increased inflow of tourists in view of the Gowri-Ganesha chaturthi holidays. “We were expecting an increase in the occupancy of hotel rooms during the holidays. Due to the flooding on the highway, many tourists did not come to Mysuru and our rooms remained vacant,” said Narayan Gowda, Mysuru Hotel Owners’ Association president.