This landmass of over 300 acres surrounded on three sides by the Souparnika could have been an attractive tourist destination with vast extents of paddy fields, coconut groves and river channels; but for all-weather roads and a minor bridge.
Welcome to Hadavu hamlet in Nada-Padukone village under Byndoor Assembly constituency where about 250 families with a population of around 1,500 live primarily on agriculture. Located a stone’s throw away from National Highway 66 along the famous Trasi-Maravanthe beachfront, the locality is separated from the mainland by the Souparnika. Though a bridge across the Souparnika near Maharajaswamy Varahaswamy Temple of Maravanthe constructed by then MLA K. Gopal Poojary in 2017 provided connectivity to Nada-Padukone, interior roads, including that of Hadavu, have remained in a pathetic condition.
A minor bridge across a channel between the Souparnika on the eastern and western sides collapsed during last year floods; the makeshift bridge has been nightmare particularly during heavy rains, rues Girija Shedthi, a resident. The roads inside the hamlet were not good either as the residents were forced to wade through rainwater and slush, she lamented.
Ramu Poojary, who was returning from the Hadavu Milk Society after filling milk cans on Friday morning, said residents of the hamlet raise paddy crop despite all the odds and also depend upon dairy farming. The least they asked for was pucca roads, he said. Ms. Shedthi said patients were ferried through boats to the mainland for want of good roads in the hamlet.
Mary D’Souza, an Accredited Social Heath Activist (ASHA) in the locality, said infrastructure woes have affected healthcare facilities too. Former MLA Gopal Poojary had also promised to get a ring-road constructed connecting the Maravanthe-Padukone main road. Three years on with the new MLA, nothing has happened, she regretted.
Harish, Panchayat Development Officer of Nada Gram Panchayat, said the panchayat has written to jurisdictional MLA and the MP seeking funds for the reconstruction of the collapsed minor bridge that was estimated to cost around ₹10 lakh. Though a ring road was planned earlier, the same could not be constructed for want of funds. If grants were made by the MLA or the MP, the road too would be constructed, he added.
