Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi orders safety audit on Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway amid accidents: Report

Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi ordered a safety audit on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway amid reports that it saw over 500 accidents in around 5 months.

Published on: Jun 24, 2023, 10:48:34 IST

By Yamini C S

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Amid reports that the recently inaugurated Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway saw over 500 accidents in the span of 5 months, Karnataka minister for public works, Satish Jarkiholi, ordered a safety audit on Friday, The Times of India reported.

An accident on the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway last year. (Representative image)

The minister issued the order after a report surfaced that the expressway saw 570 accidents in the span of five months, killing 55 people in the mishaps. The ten-lane ambitious project, which connects the Karnataka capital to Mysuru city, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year.

READ | Child dies after bus rams car, causing vehicle pile-up on Bengaluru-Mysuru e-way

In the most recent incident, police said three people died on the spot and two others sustained severe injuries after two cars rammed into each other on the expressway near Maddur in Mandya district on Tuesday.

In this regard, Jarkiholi also held a meeting with several government departments and sought reasons behind the high number of accidents taking place on the expressway, the publication said. “There may be a few technical issues regarding the construction of the motorway, which will be brought to the attention of Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and we will work together to set things right,” the minister told the publication.

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Hindustan Times had reported in January that the expressway witnessed 77 accidents in around six months according to police data, even before its inauguration. A total of 28 persons had lost their lives in accidents on the expressway, while 67 persons have been injured in that period. According to NHAI officials, there are 16 accident prone zones on the expressway.

The 118-km expressway was built at the cost of ₹8,408 crore and has reduced travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from 3.5 hours to around 1.5 hours.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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