Japanese emperor's visit will spur road tunnel project through Shirady Ghat: Oscar Fernandes

MANGALORE: The much vaunted tunnel roadway through Shirady Ghat connecting this coastal city with Bangalore has gained momentum, Union minister for Road Transport and Highway Oscar Fernandes said here on Saturday. The six-day visit of Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to India that got underway on November 30 and the scheduled state visit of Prime Minister of Japan in January 2014 will further boost this project, Oscar added.

In an informal chat with reporters on the sidelines of inaugural function of 27th statutory conference of All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisation here on Saturday, Oscar said the Indo-Japanese summit coinciding with the Japanese Emperor's visit will give a further fillip to this project. This will be further strengthened by the visit of Japanese PM for the Republic Day celebration in January 2014, Oscar added.

Indicating that tunnel project through Shirady Ghat will be executed with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency, Oscar said the state chief secretary and PWD minister called on him in New Delhi recently and held extensive discussions in this regard. "We at the ministry have mooted the idea that a separate corporation be set up to execute the project," Oscar said, adding that a final shape to it could be expected soon.

The idea of going in for a road tunnel through Shirady Ghat straddling the ecologically sensitive Western Ghat was first mooted at the Global Investors Meet held under the stewardship of then Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda. The project was mooted as the current state of the National Highway through Shirady Ghat measuring nearly 40-kms is in an unmotorable situation and breakdown on heavy vehicles on the treacherous hairpin bend curves leads to snarling traffic jams.