Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway: Check-posts, barricades increase travel time

Bengaluru: Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, connects the State capital with several major districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With elections on the horizon, people commuting on this highway are failing to reach their destinations on time.

The check-posts and barricades along the highway to prevent election malpractices and control violations of traffic rules has led to this delay for commuters. It has become a common sighting in the last few days as chaos builds up at the barricades as drivers struggle for space.

There are over 20 places on the highway, where the election authorities [of Mysuru, Mandya, Ramanagaram, and Bengaluru] have established check-posts to check and curb the transportation of unauthorised cash and gift articles that could be used to woo voters. To police on the other hand are holding drives to prevent traffic violations.

These sudden measures have led to the traffic build up and increase in the journey time along the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway.

At least two lakh vehicles ply on the highway every day, which is being upgraded as National Highway 275, inform the Department of Public Works, Ports, Inland and Water Transport.

This highway connects Bengaluru with places such as Ooty, Sathyamangalam, Salem, Mettupalyam, Mananthavady, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Sultan Bathery and other towns. It is considered to be the busiest inter-State roads in the country.

the journey time between the two cities has increased by at least one hour during the non-peak hours and by nearly 90 minutes during peak hours, say the commuters. The checking of vehicles starts immediately after crossing Bannimantapa in Mysuru and continues till Jnana Bharati in Bengaluru.