Unless you do not mind damaging your car, it takes about 20 minutes now to cover a mere 4.5-km stretch of Padil-Bajal-Jeppinamogaru road. It connects Mangalore-Bangalore road and Mangalore-Kasaragod national highway. Except for a 500m stretch between Padil and Mangalore Junction railway crossing, which has been concreted, almost the entire road between JalliguddaCross and Jeppinamogaru has worn out and riddled with potholes.
This is one of the main roads in the city which has not received proper attention of the authorities for five years now. This main road passes through the residential areas of Jalligudda Cross, Adarsha Nagar, Pakkaladkka, Kudthadkka, Bajal and Jeppinamogaru.
Ramachandra, an electric contractor, said the city corporation repairs some potholes in summer and forgets this road. Residents are used to its bad condition and have been keeping quiet without pressing for their rights.
With no proper drains and maintenance, at least 10 tar roads in the city are not motorable, making two-wheeler riding almost a dare-devil act.
Expect for a kilometre of concrete road, the 3.5-km-long Bikarnakatta-Shakthinagar-Kulashekara stretch is more or less roadless.
Accidents galore
Subrahmanya Bhat, a retired college principal, says that he fell from his motorbike at Alake-Bikarnakatta on August 5, fracturing his toe. He is still nursing the wound. Vasanth Jogi, a resident of Shakthinagar, has seen many two-wheeler riders hitting potholes and falling near KVS Cashew Factory.
National Highway 66 between Mahaveera Circle and Talapady is not an exception. Sathaprasad, a polytechnic teacher, says the 20-minute ride now takes 45 minutes because of potholes and invisible ‘men at work’.
Bus drivers Satish and Dhananjay now need at least five to seven more minutes to cover the stretch between State Bank of India bus stand and Talapady.
