Mangalore: The Mangalore City Corporation has approved 21 road widening projects at its meeting recently.

These included a proposal to widen the stretch between KSRTC Junction and Lalbagh Junction into a six-lane road and a five year old proposal of widening a narrow road leading from Naguri to Mangalore Junction Railway Station. Widening the road will result in a reduction of travel distance by 1.5 kms. Originally a BJP proposal which was sidelined subsequently it has now been revived by the Congress led corporation.

A lot of land on either side of the road will have to be acquired for the purpose and it is learnt that the civic body would  first convince property owners to part with their land/buildings under the provision of transferable development rights (TDR). If they did not agree, the corporation would go for land/building acquisition. The Mayor responding to a question on the scope for widening Karnad Sadashiva Rao Road, said some parts of the road, for example in front of Prabhat Cinema, were not complete.

Among the other road widening proposals approved are Falnir Road between Avery Junction and Kankanady Junction; Milagres Junction-Mangalore Central Railway Station Road; Kavoor Junction to Kavoor Mahalingeshwar Road; Urwa Stores-Ashoknagar-Urwa Market Road; City Hospital Junction-Kadri Kambla-Pinto’s Lane Road; Navbharat Circle-Sharada Vidyalaya-Besant Junction Road; and Kadri Park Road from Circuit House to Padavu High School.

Other roads were Sturrock Road between Avery Junction and Anand Shetty Circle; and Bunts Hostel Junction to PVS Junction. In addition, the council has approved to lay a footpath between Mary Hill Junction and Bondel Junction.