Expressing serious concern over the pathetic state of the National Highways in the district, Dakshina Kannada district in charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday directed the officials concerned to keep the highways in motorable condition always without giving the excuse of monsoon.
The Mangaluru-Bengaluru NH-75 between B.C. Road and Mani that was being made four-lane by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) should be paved with bitumen within a week so as to alleviate the misery of road users. The NHAI should continue to lay bitumen paver whenever the one laid washes out due to rains, he instructed them.
“Knowing fully well the monsoon was on its way, the NHAI failed to provide proper drainage facility along the highway that was being widened, particularly in Kalladka town,” Mr. Rao said. Responding to Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai’s statement that commuting has become a herculean task between B.C. Road and Mani, Mr. Rao directed the NHAI to restore the highway stretch on priority basis.
When MLC K. Harish Kumar pointed out a similar condition on Bantwal-Charmadi NH-73, the Minister directed officials from the National Highways Division of Karnataka Public Works Department that was executing the widening work to make the highway motorable immediately. Mr. Kumar said patches of the highway totalling about 6-7 km has become slushy as the NH-PWD dug up the earth and left them without providing bitumen paver.
Deputy Commissioner M.P. Mullai informed the meeting that the NAHI was told to remove the coffer bund erected for the construction of a six-lane bridge across Phalguni (Gurupura) river at Kulur on Kochi-Panvel NH 66. The coffer bund was likely to prevent the free flow of water thereby inundating the upstream areas, he said. A NHAI official said the coffer bund was being removed.
