In order to boost inter-district road connectivity, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to upgrade Sankeshwar-Belagavi state highway to a two-lane national highway in four different stages.

An estimated Rs 766 crore funds have been released by the ministry for the initial two-phases of the work that connects Vijayapura to Murugundi, stretching over 80-km.

Briefing about the road work, Chikkodi Member of Parliament Annasaheb Jolle said, tenders for the 40-km stretch of road in Chikkodi parliamentary constituency and another 40-km in Vijayapura district had been already invited by the Central authorities and that the work on it would shortly commence.

“In the first phase of road upgradation, the work would be taken up between Vijayapura and Savalgi Cross and then from Savalagi Cross to Murugundi. The third phase of work covers the road from Murgundi to Shiraguppi and the fourth phase stretches from Shiraguppi to Murgundi to Gutur”, said JOlle, adding that the funds for the third and fourth phase would be released once the work on initial phases of work ended.

Due to the rising traffic on Murgundi-Sankeshwar stretch of this road, Jolle said, he had appealed to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to widen this particular stretch to four-lane, and said, until the road was widened, the Centre granted Rs 21.88 crore for the development of this stretch. He said, tender for it also had been invited to finish the work at the earliest.

In the last few years, the traffic on all routes leading to Vijayapura district from Chikkodi region has risen as a large number of vehicles from the surrounding regions are taking this route.

Jolle also briefed about the high-tech court complex to be built in Chikkodi taluk which would have a court hall, library, special rooms for judges, custody for prisoners, advocates rest rooms, special rooms for women, etc. He said, it would be the one of its kind court complex at the taluk level in entire Belagavi district.

Source – Times Of India