Mangalore :  The government has plans to build a tunnel across the 38 km Shiradi Ghat stretch of road in order to reduce the travel  distance between Mangalore and Bangalore.

Informing this at Bangalore, State Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani said such a tunnel would also benefit the Mangalore port to a great extent apart from the frequent commuters on the route.

The Minister said the tunnel would be built with technical aid from  Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO. The tunnel, he said would come up on PPP model.

On this occasion, Nirani also revealed the government plans to have bullet train services  to ensure high connectivity between Bangalore and other important cities and that talks are on with Japanese firms in this direction for expert guidance. The government would  commission the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the ambitious project, he informed.

The government, he said would also ensure steps to attract more investments by providing better infrastructural facilities.