Hassan: Revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Friday took National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials to task for not commencing work from Buvanahalli Junction to Goruru Bypass on the outskirts of the city.The minister, who is also Hassan district minister, inspected the road works and questioned why the highway widening work did not begin even though the land acquisition process was completed 3 years ago.The land acquisition for the bypass widening project was clear. He criticised the officials for claiming that a single tree was in the way and that the construction of two Railway Over Bridges (ROB) was hampering the work. He suggested leaving 300 metres for the tree and 1 km of road for the bridges. He questioned why they failed to complete the remaining 9 km of work.The minister said they (officials) were misleading him. He noted that, in some places, there was a pretence of starting work, but vehicles still used the two-lane road, and expressed dissatisfaction.Criticising the contractors, Arasikere MLA Shivalingegowda said they (officials) were not doing their job properly.In response, deputy commissioner KS Latha Kumari said that when asked about the work not starting, they always brought up the tree and ROB issues, reporting that work could not proceed due to obstructions. She informed the minister that the land acquisition process for the bypass widening work was completed in 2022.MP Shreyas Patel and ZP CEO BR Poornima were present.
