People who live by the narrow Bishop Victor Road have not seen the authorities take any steps to repair the dilapidated road for over a decade. People living by Bibi Alibi Road are disgusted with the apathy of the authorities towards the problem. A few residents have even filled some potholes using the debris as the Mangalore City Corporation did not take action to repair the Bikarnakatte-Shaktinagar Road.
“We have not seen the MCC taking up repair of this road for over 10 years,” said A. Raviraj, who is an office is by the Bishop Victor Road, which is between the KMC Hospital Attavar and the Silva Road. The presence of potholes of different sizes at various points on this busy road stretch has turned the road into a one-way. “Even parking of a two-wheeler obstructed the traffic flow. Autorickshaws refuse to come on this route,” said A. Shivaram, another resident. “The corporation authorised contractors do not take away garbage for several days as their vehicle’s presence on the road will create a traffic jam,” he added.
Traffic jam is a regular occurrence on the Bibi Alibi Road, which is among the many roads joining the Central Market. “Is the corporation or the area councillors really concerned about the problems we face,” said an angry Mohammed Razak. “Apart from the traffic jam, we have to bear with the stench from the garbage dumped by the roadside,” he said.
The stretch of road connecting Padua Pre University College and Airport Road are in a dilapidated at various places. The potholes near the CODP and Kadri Tennis Club are so wide that the motorists are forced to go to the edge of road and move ahead. “Nothing has been done to prevent water logging on this road,” said S. Michael, who runs furniture shop by the road. Pothole filling was done only for about 100 metres on this road, he added.
The residents of Naigara Lane near Bikarnakatte had to fill some of the potholes on Bikarnakatte–Shakthinagar Road using construction waste. “We had to prevent water splashing on us. This stretch is not only bad for motorists but also for elderly residents like me,” said Mahabala Shetty.
The condition of the road continues to be bad near Mandd Sobhan, Hindu Burial Ground and near water tank between Shaktinagar and Shaktinagar Cross.
A resident blamed councillors from Falnir and Kankanady Valencia Wards for the poor condition of the Gorigudde – Valencia Road. “One passes on the buck on the other. But no work is done to ensure a proper drainage for the rain water, which is now overflowing on the road,” said Gorigudde resident Chandan Shetty.
