27 National Highway projects underway in Karnataka with outlay of Rs 31,749 crore
Udupi: As many as 27 National Highway (NH) projects are currently in progress across Karnataka, with a total sanctioned outlay of Rs 31,749 crore. This was revealed by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary in the Lok Sabha, as reported by The New Indian Express on Tuesday.
Poojary had sought detailed information regarding the status of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) projects in Karnataka, including updates on project timelines, sanctioned budgets, current progress, and expenditure incurred.
In response, the ministry stated that feasibility studies and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) form the basis for investment decisions, which are aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.
According to the ministry’s data, the 27 ongoing NHAI projects in Karnataka span a combined length of 1,151 km, of which 537 km have been completed. The total expenditure incurred so far amounts to Rs 14,455 crore.
Among the prominent initiatives, six-laning work on the Nelamangala-Tumakuru section (NH 48), sanctioned at Rs 2,032 crore has seen just 10.3 km completed out of 44.73 km.
Another delayed project is the construction of a six-lane bridge across the Phalguni River near Kulur on NH-66 in Mangaluru. While Rs 27 crore has already been spent on foundational works, overall progress remains limited. The bridge's revised completion deadline is now set for December 31, 2025.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
