Potholes and craters have developed again as an annual affair once the monsoon season commenced on the Kuloor-Surathkal stretch of National Highway-66 even as the old Kuloor Bridge has attained notoriety because of multiple potholes thereby holding up traffic.
The stretch between Kuloor Bridge and Baikampady that witnesses very heavy movement of vehicles because of the inward and outward traffic of New Mangalore Port, was the worst affected. Gaping road surface at many places threaten motorists along the stretch on both the carriageways.
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State President Muneer Katipalla blamed the situation on the National Highways Authority of India not undertaking pre-monsoon maintenance of the highway. Despite contract worth crore of rupees being awarded by the NHAI, the agency did not take up maintenance work, he said.
The rainwater filled potholes and craters expose motorists, particularly two-wheeler riders, to grave danger as they end up in accidents. Vehicle drivers too tend to drive in a zigzag manner to avoid potholes that could cause mishaps.
Ramanath Kamath, who regularly rides for work at Baikampady through the stretch, said that commuting has become miserable after the rains started. On the one hand, one has to face the torrential rains and on the other, the potholes and craters that appear from nowhere, he lamented.
