At a time when a complete overhaul of the existing carriageway of the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway 75 in Dakshina Kannada district has brought some respite to road users, the continued pathetic condition of the highway between Maranahalli and Hassan in Hassan district has made driving miserable.
Stretches of NH-75 between B.C. Road and Addahole in Dakshina Kannada and Maranahalli and Hassan in Hassan district continue to be under the four-laning project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). While an existing sub-contractor was continuing four-laning work in Hassan district, the NHAI was finalising new contractors for the stretch in Dakshina Kannada. The authority made the highway, which was in a deplorable condition, in Dakshina Kannada motorable a couple of months ago after road users raised a hue and cry.
With the ongoing work between Hassan and Sakleshpur, on about 40 km of NH-75, potholes and craters on the existing carriageway have been left unattended. While the NHAI says it was the contractor’s responsibility to keep the carriageway in motorable condition, road users say it takes not less than 90 minutes to traverse the 40-km stretch, instead of 45 minutes.
At some places, where the new concrete two-lane road has been laid as part of the four-lane project, drivers move on the new stretch to avoid the potholes on the existing carriageway. At many places, they cannot take a diversion and have to negotiate potholes and craters, according to Shivashankar, a truck driver.
The NHAI says that a 30-km stretch between Hassan and Sakleshpur was made motorable by the contractor three years ago. However, the highway continues to be in a deplorable condition, said Ashok Kumar, a regular traveller. With the four-lane project expected to take another year for completion, he wondered about the situation during upcoming monsoon, when the existing potholes and craters are sure to become pools of water.
Residents of the villages and towns on the way too have been hit hard by the state of the highway. It becomes difficult to cross it when vehicles get piled up while negotiating bad stretches, said Kenche Gowda, a resident of Ballupet.
