Former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai has laid the foundation stone for the 5.6 km Gajendragad bypass on National Highway 367’s Yelburga–Kukanoor stretch, part of the Bhanuapur-Gaddanakeri corridor. Valued at roughly Rs 480 million, the engineering-procurement-construction scheme is intended to ease traffic and knit together Kukanoor, Yelburga and Ron, accelerating the region’s integration with the wider Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari highway grid championed by the Union government.

Speaking at the ceremony, Bommai stressed that road and rail schemes deliver the greatest public good when the Centre and State work in tandem. He cited Karnataka’s recent allocation of 6,000 km of highway projects worth about Rs 300 billion, warning that half remain stuck because of slow land acquisition. He urged officials to clear compensation issues swiftly so that the Gajendragad bypass proceeds ahead of the Kukanoor–Yelburga link, avoiding the disputes that have dogged local railway plans.

The MP added that the approved Rs 6.9 billion Yalavigi–Gadag railway and the proposed Karwar–Ilkal national highway will complement NH-367, creating a seamless corridor between Kalyana Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka via Haveri and Gadag. High-quality work by contractors, he said, would guarantee long-term benefits for farmers and businesses by cutting journey times and opening new markets.

Officials from the Public Works Department, National Highways Authority and local MLAs pledged to monitor progress closely. The bypass, they argued, signals North Karnataka’s emergence as a critical logistics hub whose future hinges on dependable transport links.