B’luru-Mysuru expressway: Mahadevappa slams Pratap Simha for claiming credit

Mysuru: As the works of the ambitious Mysuru-Bengaluru ten-lane project is nearing completion, a war of words has erupted over who should take credit for the project implementation.
After MP Pratap Simha’s press conference on the project and a visit to the project site and a video documentary, former public works department minister HC Mahadevappa slammed him over his statements. However, Simha justified his claim and questioned the contribution of his critics in the implementation of the project.
In a lengthy social media post, Mahadevappa stated that himself, former Union minister Oscar Fernandes, former CM Siddaramaiah, and current minister Nitin Gadkari are behind this project. “Pratap Simha and other BJP leaders are good at renaming the projects,” he criticized.
“Bengaluru-Mysuru-Bantwal stretch of the state highway was notified as a national highway when Oscar Fernandes was the Union minister for transport, road, and highways. A detailed project report (DPR) was prepared when Congress was in power. There are documents to prove that the project was conceived and sanctioned when I was the PWD minister. I had carried out multiple review meetings, inspections in this corridor stretch. The project office was opened at Ramanagar for the swift implementation of the scheme,” he explained to TOI.
“When I was the PWD minister, several new highway projects were taken up in the state. People know the truth,” he said. “The BJP leaders are good at spreading false news. However, documents can’t lie. My statements in the state legislative assembly and council are the proof for who brought this project,” he said. “Pratap Simha is trying to mislead the people in this regard,” he alleged.
BJP MLC AH Vishwanath, reacting to Simha claiming credit for the ongoing expressway project, said that the project was initiated during UPA government headed by PM Manmohan Singh. The project was started by then Union minister for transport, road and highways Oscar Fernandes, CM Siddaramaiah and PWD minister HC Mahadevappa. “As Mysuru MP, I along with MPs from Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Ramanagar held several meetings to take up the upgradation of 1,882-kms state highway to national highway including the Mysuru-Bengaluru expressway. A detailed project report was prepared and work was started,” he told reporters. MP Simha should claim credit for the works he has done and not others, he said.
Earlier Simha and Mandya MP Sumalatha also engaged in a bitter war of words over the way in which project works are executed. This project is expected to bring down the travel time between Mysuru and Bengaluru to 90 minutes.
However, Simha hit out at his critics. “None of the leaders who are criticizing me were able to bring even 8 paise for this Rs 8,000-crore project. The project was approved in February 2018. As Nitin Gadkari is also the part of the Modi-led government, what is wrong in claiming a credit,” he questioned.