Following the closure of the Shiradi Ghat stretch of National Highway 75 on account of roadwork, the pressure on Charmadi Ghat has increased. Travellers on this route on Sunday had a difficult time as the traffic moved at a snail’s pace. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded near Kottigehara.
The Shiradi Ghat stretch was closed from 6 a.m. on Saturday to allow rigid pavement work between Maranahalli police outpost and Gundya. Vehicles heading towards Mangaluru from Bengaluru were diverted at Hassan. A majority of them took the Belur-Mudigere-Charmadi-Ujire route.
As the Charmadi Ghat road is narrow compared to the Shiradi Ghat one, only mini-vehicles and ordinary buses are allowed on this route. Normally, the number of vehicle on the road connecting Mangaluru and Bengaluru is high during weekends. With the closure of one road, the pressure on the alternative was high. The heavy commercial vehicles such as Airavat and Rajahamsa buses were allowed only on the Madikere route.
The closure of the road has also affected roadside eateries and hotels in Sakleshpur and the ghat stretch. For the next five months, customers will be hard to come by. On the other hand, the outlets located between Mudigere and Charmadi Ghat are likely to do good business.
The rigid pavement work is expected to be completed by May-end.
