The State Government has written to the Central Government that, if the portions of the national highways passing through the City are denotified, it would release Rs 8 lakh per km for the development and maintaining of those portions according to the regulations specified for highways and without constructing any bypass, reported Kannada Prabha.
The bars and restaurants on M G Road and Brigade Road has filed an application with the High Court questioning the step of State Government not renewing their licences quoting the Central Government not denotifying NH 4 and 7. The Central Government advocates had argued during the previous hearing that the State Government had written to Central Government on June 15 requesting to denotify 76.63 km of NH 4 and 7 running through the City. However, the Centre had sought certain clarifications in this regard.
The bench considered this and had instructed the State Government to submit the clarifications required by the Central Government. Accordingly, the State Government has written to the Central Government on July 3 stating that the portions of NH 4 and 7 passing through the City must be denotified and in turn the State Government would develop and maintain the NH portions as per the specifications of NH and also defer from constructing any bypass. To keep the traffic flow without any hurdles, it would release or get local institutions to fund Rs 8 lakhs per km.
Additional Advocate General A S Ponnanna, counsel for State submitted the letter to the High Court on Thursday. The single judge bench headed by Justice Vineeth Kumar Kothari instructed that the Central Government must inspect the clarifications without any further delay and take a decision regarding denotifying the highways passing through City and inform the court by August 17 and adjourned the case.