KCCI seeks implementation of Shiradi ghat tunnel project.

The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) urged the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari to take up the Shiradi ghat tunnel project between Mangaluru and Bengaluru for a better connectivity between two destinations.

In a letter to the Minister, KCCI President Shashidhar Pai Maroor said that the crucial project of the Shiradi ghat tunnel (23.6 km) between Mangaluru and Bengaluru will significantly reduce the travel time.

“We hope the project will be completed in record time for the benefit of both passenger and goods vehicles,” he said.

Shiradi ghat on the National Highway no. 75 is the main link between Mangaluru and Bengaluru.

Stating that KCCI has been striving for an all-weather road connectivity between Mangaluru and Bengaluru for over three decades, Maroor said periodic closure of various stretches on this route due to miserable condition affects the export-import trade, and the movement of LPG agricultural products, etc.

He said Shiradi ghat stretch is the main link to the State’s only major port – New Mangalore Port – from the hinterland.

The route passes through the Western Ghats. Karnataka has been suffering especially during monsoons due to landslides and constant road repairs, he added.

HBL