Minister for Public Works, Ports and Inland Waterways H.C. Mahadevappa has said that permanent sea walls would be constructed in different parts of Udupi district at an estimated cost of ₹350 crore with loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Addressing presspersons after inspecting the sea wall construction at Vadabhandeshwara Beach at Malpe here on Tuesday, Mr. Mahadevappa said that the total length of the sea walls at different places put together would be 18 km. This included 4.5-km long sea wall at Tenka Yermal at a cost of ₹79.6 crore; 5-km long sea wall at Udyavara – ₹100 crore, 4.5-km sea wall at Kodibengre – ₹ 76 crore, 1.5-km sea wall at Kodikanyana – ₹1 crore, and 3.5-km long sea wall at Marvanthe – ₹93.23 crore.
A 600-metre long and 13-metre wide sea wall was being constructed at Malpe at a cost of ₹3.33 crore. This wall would be stable and bear the strength of sea waves. The construction of permanent sea walls of smaller lengths has already been completed at Hoode-Thottam, Tenka Yermal, Bada Yermal, Kundapur-Kodi, Mannur-Padukere, Shiroor-Dombe, Kirimanjeshwara, Shiroor, Tenkanidiyur, and Kaup (under construction) at a cost of ₹11.54 crore.
The construction of 80 metres wall at Malpe jetty under the Department of Ports has been completed at a cost of ₹5 crore, while 130 metres of wall at the jetty would be constructed at a cost of ₹15 crore in the next phase.
Report awaited
The Malpe-Tirthahalli Road was upgraded to National Highway 169A two years ago. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) was being prepared to widen this 87-km road into a four-lane highway. The land acquisition for widening the highway would be taken up after the preparation of DPR, he said.
The highway would pass through Agumbe Ghat. Already the government had got enough land to widen the road on the ghat to 40 metres. He did not foresee any objection from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to the widening of the road on the ghat, Mr. Mahadevappa said. To a query on construction of a tunnel under Agumbe Ghat instead of widening the road on ghat as suggested by Shobha Karandlaje, MP, a PWD officer said that such a tunnel would be 5-km longer than the existing ghat road.
