Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel on Thursday instructed officials to identify land within a fortnight for constructing a toilet complex between Gundia and Mangalore on the National Highway 48.
Presiding over the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meeting here he asked the officials of zilla panchayat engineering wing, Revenue Department, national highway departments (under the State government) to conduct a joint survey and identify some sites within two weeks. One of them could be finalised later, he said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat K. N. Vijaya Prakash told the meeting that the panchayat was planning to build the toilet complex near Nelyadi. Though the panchayat had held meetings with the State national highway authorities to this effect, officials of Mangalore Division of the National Highways were buying time to issue a no-objection certificate for building the toilet complex.
Mr. Prakash said that many travellers on the highway, especially women, were facing inconvenience as there was no public toilet facility on the highway.
Mr. Kateel, who was the president of the committee, directed the national highway authorities to conduct the joint survey with other department officials to make the plan of the panchayat a reality.
Wayside structures
Mr. Kateel questioned the State national highway authorities over allowing constructing unauthorised bus shelters and other structures on the highway side in the district.
He said that many bus shelters were coming up close to the highway. In one location, he had seen three bus shelters adjacent to one another and the fourth one coming up. Some political parties were staking claim over building those shelters. Such structures would give scope for controversies while widening the highways in future. Those structures should not give scope for law and order problem. He wanted to know whether the highway officials had permitted those bus stands and other structures.
An official of the National Highways replied that his office had not issued any permission for constructing bus stands and other structures.
Unauthorised building
Mr. Kateel instructed the officials to remove those unauthorised structures. It could allow constructing bus shelters if they were absolutely necessary, he said.
He instructed the officials of Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL) to complete the widening works between Mani and Sampaje at the earliest.
K. T. Shailaja Bhat, president of the zilla panchayat, was present.
