The highway reduces travel time at the cost of several livelihoods dependent on the traffic.
Story so far: Thousands of vendors across Ramanagara, Channapatna, Maddur and Mandya condemn the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway for sounding the death knell on their businesses. Businesspeople in these towns were heavily dependent on road traffic to sustain their shops, restaurants and hotels. The 10-laned, 117 km expressway bypasses these towns and cuts off access to the vendors, reportedly slashing their incomes by 60 per cent.
- A Channapatna toy vendor explains how their shop used to draw in transactions worth ₹20,000 and barely makes ₹4,000 now. Research suggests that expressways across the country hurt direct services, including neighbourhood stores, hotels and other small businesses.
- The business slowdown has led to franchises along the Mysuru road shutting down. Tens of tea businesses have already closed shop.
Solutions? Restauranteurs hope that the government will allow safe access roads so visitors can access the towns and their businesses. Pratap Simha, a Mysore-Kodagu MP, reveals that a 30-acre rest area near Channapatna is in the offings. It will supplant both sides of the road with enough space for restaurants and regional speciality stores. The government has initiated the land acquisition process for entry and exit points.
(Image credits: Vaaridhii’s Twitter post)