Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Kateel on Thursday instructed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to complete work on the new bridge being built across the Phalguni at Kuluru on the National Highway 66 by this May-end, ahead of the September deadline.
Speaking at the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting called to review the progress of Centrally-sponsored projects, he said that once the monsoon begins, it will become difficult to carry out the work on the river. Hence, the remaining five months should be made the best use of to complete the bridge. Mr. Kateel said that issues relating to a religious structure which is on the approach path to the new bridge have been addressed.
Now, it is up to the NHAI to complete the bridge work at the earliest by deploying more men and machinery for the project.
An NHAI official said that the widening of National Highway 75 between BC Road and Periyashanthi has resumed. There are no major issues to be addressed on the stretch.
Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra said that the progress of the work will be reviewed once every fortnight. Fortnight meetings will be held also to sort out issues, if any, among line departments such as Forest, Revenue and MESCOM.
Mr. Kateel said that he, with other officials, will visit the stretch between BC Road and Adda Hole on Monday to inspect the road work and to ascertain if there are any pending issues to be addressed.
The NHAI official said that the government is yet to approve the flyover project planned at Nanthoor at an estimated cost of ₹57 crore.
The Deputy Commissioner asked the urban local bodies to impose fine on those who dumped garbage on the roadside and identify the black spots and clear them. The local bodies were also asked to identify street vending zones. Chief Executive Officer of zilla panchayat Kumara and Commissioner of Mangaluru City Corporation Akshy Sridhar spoke.
