Shopkeepers, residents and pedestrians on Salagame Road in Hassan town are having to deal with thick dust rising from the ground as any vehicle passes on the stretch. Almost all the shopkeepers on the road cover their faces with masks to avoid inhaling dust, while a few are forced to pull down the shutter of their shop, unable to withstand the dust.
The Public Works Department has taken up construction of drainages alongside the road to allow free flow of rainwater. The earth movers in the name levelling the sidewalks removed the top layer of soil and left in unattended for over a week. This is the busiest road after B.M. Road in Hassan town. As many as 10 city buses cover at least 13 trips each a day, besides the buses plying to the tourist spot Halebidu. Hundreds of vehicles take this road as Malnad College of Engineering and many other educational institutions are located nearby.
The asphalted width of the road is only 5.5 m, and the rest is covered with mud. “Whenever a bus passes by, thick dust rises from the ground, forcing the people around to cover their faces. I close my shop during the busy traffic hours as I have already got respiratory problems because of the dust,” said Ganesh, a shopkeeper. Meanwhile, the coconut sellers and sugarcane juice makers on the sidewalks are finding it difficult to work without covering their faces. “Even if I park my two-wheeler for half an hour on this road, dust gathers on the vehicle,” said Ashok, another shopkeeper.
When The Hindu contacted Giridhar, assistant engineer with the Public Works Department, he said the drainage work would start soon and would be followed by asphalting of the road. “We have levelled the ground for drainage work. The [work] will start soon. Moreover, we have proposed widening of the road in view of the increased traffic on the stretch,” he said.
The PWD has proposed widening of Salagame Road as part of the works to be taken up for the Mahamastakabhisheka, to be held in 2018, and has also sought financial assistance under the Central Road Fund for the work. “We are hopeful that either of these will be approved soon so that we can take up the widening work,” the official said.
