Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday reviewed two major infrastructure projects in Mysuru, the ongoing ₹393.85 crore white-topping road initiative covering 12 major city roads and the ₹170 crore redevelopment of Maharani’s Women’s Science and Arts College.

Mr. Siddaramaiah first inspected the white-topping works near N.I.E College on Mysuru-Manandavadi Road, where the Public Works Department is undertaking concrete road development works spanning 46.088 km across key arterial stretches in the city.

The ambitious road modernisation project aims to improve urban mobility, ease traffic congestion, strengthen tourism infrastructure and provide durable pothole-free roads amid Mysuru’s rapid urban growth and increasing tourist inflow.

Officials briefed the Chief Minister on the progress of the project, which covers several major roads linking residential, commercial and tourism hubs across the city. The 12-road package includes important stretches such as JLB Road, Mysuru-Hunsur Road, Mysuru-Bogadi Road, Metagalli Road, Irwin Road, Mysuru-Mahadevapura Road and Mysuru-Manandavadi Road.

Among the major packages, ₹67.25 crore is being spent on white-topping a 5.624-km stretch from Harding Circle to Columbia Asia Circle via KSRTC Bus Stand and Bannimantap. Another ₹50 crore package covers a 4.941-km stretch from JLB Road to Ring Road via Akashvani and Jayadeva Hospital. The government is also executing ₹42.74 crore white-topping works on the Mysuru-Manandavadi Road stretch from Basaveshwara Circle to Ring Road via Nanjumalige and Srirampura.

According to officials, white-topping roads have a longer lifespan compared to asphalt roads, require minimal maintenance, improve night-time visibility and enhance fuel efficiency for motorists.

Later, the Chief Minister inspected the ongoing redevelopment works at Maharani College, where a ₹170-crore infrastructure upgrade is being undertaken to modernise one of Karnataka’s oldest women’s educational institutions while preserving its heritage architecture.

Established in 1917 by Maharani Kempananjammanni Vani Vilasa Sannidhana, the institution has played a major role in providing higher education to women, especially students from rural and socially disadvantaged backgrounds in the State.

The redevelopment project was initiated after portions of the century-old heritage building became structurally weak, with the northwestern section collapsing on October 21, 2022. The project also seeks to address the growing demand for academic and hostel infrastructure.

During the inspection, Mr. Siddaramaiah reviewed restoration works being carried out on the heritage building and library located in front of the Maharani Science College campus. Four new seminar halls matching the heritage facade are being constructed, each with a seating capacity of 120 students.

A new G+3 academic block is also coming up on the campus with 20 classrooms accommodating 60 students each, 10 laboratories with a capacity of 30 students each, and four multi-purpose halls capable of seating 100 students each. The project also includes two separate hostel complexes for science and arts students with accommodation for 1,400 students in total- 700 seats each for the two streams, according to a release.

The hostel infrastructure comprises four five-storey towers with 306 rooms, apart from a separate postgraduate hostel block with 48 rooms, taking the total room count to 354. Dining halls with a seating capacity of 500 persons along with kitchen facilities are also being constructed.