Rajeevi is standing outside her house adjoining the Batpady beach road or fisheries road on Sunday afternoon watching the huge sea waves washing away portions of the road.
”Looking at the way these waves are hitting the coast, the remaining portion of this already damaged road will be washed away in a couple of days. Myself and residents of the 10 houses in the locality will then be left with no motorable road,” she said.
“Officials come here and return and nothing is being done for us,” she said and showed the sunken merchant vessel Princess Miral that is clearly seen from her house.
Rajeevi is among the residents of Batpady who are concerned over sea waves continuing to swallow the road connecting the verdant Batpady beach and Someshwara.
The raging waves have washed away nearly 500 metres of the fisheries road close to Batpady beach. Only a single lane of another 500 meters is visible and this too is fast eroding.
“Last year too, this happened and only a few days ago this road was reconstructed by the State government. The reconstructed fisheries road is again damaged,” said Rajeevi, who has been living in the area for the last 22 years.
Rajeevi’s neighbour Hassainer, a tender coconut seller, said that he and the other residents of the locality do not know the reason why the sea has made its way close to their houses.
“The sea was a kilometre away. Over the last seven years, it is gradually coming closer and the waters are now adjoining our houses,” he said and added that a vast track of his ancestral land has been washed away in the sea.
Alternative road
Meanwhile, the district administration has proposed to construct an alternative motorable road that will be 100 metres away from the damaged portion of the fisheries road.
“There is no point of reconstructing the fisheries road. Hence, we have proposed a new road that will meet the need of a motorable road for these residents and beach visitors. The district administration has earmarked ₹10 lakh for the new road,” a district official said.
This project has not moved forward following objections by owners of some private property through which the new road will pass. “We have asked Someshwar Panchayat to identify these property and propose acquisition of land,” the official said.
Earlier, Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader visited Batpady and Sea Ground in Ullal where 15 houses have been affected due to sea erosion.
Mr. Khader asked Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra to take steps for the safety of residents of Batpady and Sea Ground.
Tahsildar Guruprasad, Ullal City Municipal Council Commissioner Vidya and other officials accompanied Mr. Khader.
