Yashodhara Bangera
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 17: Under the leadership of ward member, Keshava Poojary, over a hundred villagers from Kallamundkur near here protested against non-repair of Banjaru-Nekkare road that has been in disrepair since the last 25 years and to impress upon the concerned to take up restoration and repair work of the road immediately, by doing voluntary work to repair the road. This road is in shambles now.

Keshava Poojary, speaking to media persons on this occasion, said that Banjaru-Nekkare area has about 200 houses with over 60 Dalit facilities living there. He claimed that a sum of Rs 25 lac had been sanctioned for repair of this road two months back, and a heaps of crushed stones had been laid out to undertake its repair. He accused the taluk panchayat member from this area of having shifted the repair work elsewhere and utilizing the grant somewhere else.

"The taluk panchayat member mentioned above has confessed in the gram sabha about this diversion. No one should bring politics in the matter of rural development. This five kilometre road is dilapidated since the last five years and I had raised this issue in the panchayat. If the government sanctions grant for road repair at an early date, it will enable people to make proper use of this road," he said.

A local auto rickshaw driver, Jerald Vas, said that people of the village mostly depend on three-wheelers to reach their homes. He said that auto rickshaws cannot be run on this particular road as repair work will cost more that the hire charges earned. He agreed that non-operation of auto rickshaws creates problems for the people but expressed helplessness.

Nagaraj Kamath, Raveendra Bhat, Ashalata Shetty, Philip D'Souza, Rony and others cutting across political and religious lines, came together to lay laterite stones and fill potholes on this road with the help of JCB.