Advocates and social workers from different villages of Belagavi taluk expressed their ire against the National Highways Authority of India and Public Works Department for not installing proper speed-breakers at a major road junction at the entrance to the city from Pune-Bengaluru NH4.
They submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram here on Friday pointing out at the heavy vehicular traffic passing through the road junction under the road overbridge near Alarwad, about six km from the city. The construction of several mini-circles at this junction was highly confusing for vehicle users entering the city as well as those using the service road along the side of the highway.
Speaking for the residents of Alarwad, Halga-Bastwad, Kondskop, Kolikop, Kamkaratti, Shanganamatti, Tarihal, Mastmardi and Basavan Kudchi, Anna Saheb Ghorpade urged the Deputy Commissioner to issue a direction to the NHAI and PWD authorities to remove confusing circles and redesign the road junction in a proper and scientific way to avoid confusion and ensure smooth passage of vehicular traffic. The residents would be forced to organise a strong protest if action was not taken within 10 days.
The advocates, while speaking to a section of media later, suggested organising a training programme on how to construct speed-breakers scientifically for the engineers of PWD, Belagavi City Corporation, Belagavi Urban Development Authority and those serving the engineering department of Zilla Panchayat. The shape and dimension of speed-breakers laid all over the city were highly unscientific and back-breaking, resulting in damages to vehicles and accidents too. There was not even a single speed-breaker as per the prescribed dimensions, they said.
