Mangalore : A ‘Greenfield Highway Corridor’ project to connect Chennai and Mangalore through Bangalore, which had previously been debated about, would be given momentum for better inter-port connectivity, said Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M Veerappa Moily.

Speaking to reporters  on June 24, Monday after  participating in a progress review meet at the DC office, the minister said there were plans to extend the runway of Mangalore international airport from 2,450 metres to 3,560 metres. The project will need 285 acres of land, he said.

Moily also informed that there was a proposal before the NHAI to upgrade the road between Bangalore and Mysore and Madikeri and Mangalore so t hat they become National Highways.

The first phase works of the four-laning of the Mangalore Karkala road via Moodbidri has also been taken up, he informed.

Moily also stated that the work on g Kulur-Karkala-Uppinangady and Padubidri-Karkala-Moodbidri-Venoor railway routes would soon begin.

He said that Rs 1 crore had been sanctioned to the blood bank at the Government Lady Goschen hospital in the city.  An ADB aided project worth Rs 911 crores would be taken up to check sea erosion along coastal line, he said.

Minister for Fisheries Abhaychandra Jain, MLA Moideen Bava, Deputy Commissioner N Prakash and others were present.