Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has in principle agreed to provide funds for taking up the work of the long-pending 46.5-km outer ring road of the Kalaburagi city. He has asked the State government to submit a Detailed Project Report at the earliest for approval.

The former Union Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge who met Mr. Gadkari, along with the Chairman of the Kalaburagi Development Authority (KDA) Asgar Chulbul, during his visit to Bengaluru on Tuesday asked for funds to take up the work of constructing the outer ring road in Kalaburagi, to ease traffic congestion in the city.

Talking to The Hindu over the phone from Bengaluru, Mr. Kharge said that he had also raised the issue of providing funds to the Solapur-Kalaburagi-Ballari-Bengaluru National Highway sanctioned by the previous UPA government. Mr. Gadkari assured to take up the work within six months either on PPP mode or by other means, he said.

The proposal for the construction of the outer ring road, which was included in the Comprehensive Development Plan of the city, was approved by the State government way back in 2010.

The decision to construct an outer ring road was taken as the existing ring road, constructed two decades back, had outlived its utility and was within the city limits due to the growth of the city. As per the original estimates, Rs. 135 crore was required to acquire the land.

State government asked to submit a DPR

at the earliest

The proposal for the outer ring road was approved in 2010