Daijworld Media Network – Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru, Aug 23: Commuters travelling on Padil and Nanthoor road have to face traffic congestion on a daily basis. Motorists have been bearing the brunt of traffic snarls from the past several years.

A long trail of vehicles waiting to clear a stretch of one kilometer is a daily scene at Padil and Nanthoor. Commuters suffer more headache at Nanthoor junction as it is a four-way-traffic junction which leads to chaos. Wednesday August 23 was no diffferent as scores of vehicles were stuck in a gridlock that took considerable time to clear.

File Photo

Pathetic condition of roads

One of the main reasons for these unending traffic jams is the pathetic condition of roads at Padil and Nanthoor. The situation at Padil became worse after the work on the railway underpass work commenced a few years ago. Passengers and motorists spend several hours in the congestion before they reach the two-lane road, 100 meters beyond the railway bridge at Padil.

Traffic congestion problems look to continue day and night at Padil as the long awaited railway underpass on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway is still in progress. The underpass once completed would facilitate the smooth functioning of the traffic and eliminate the perpetual traffic at the existing two-lane underpass.

Nightmare for motorists

The roads leading to Padil and Nanthoor are very dangerous and unsafe for motorists. It would be nightmare for commuters in the monsoon when the soil would wear away, flow down to the road and make the road mucky. During the monsoon, the crater like potholes gets filled and subsequently turns into a sea of muck. This condition throws the traffic out of gear and forces pedestrians to wade through sludge and sewage.

Even the highway patrol vehicles monitoring these areas remain helpless. Due to the pathetic road condition, there is slow vehicular movement in both Padil and Nanthoor.

From past one year, several protests have been held over road issues. While appreciating the social concern of the protesters, the quality of NHAI officials needs to be deplored.

From past several months, local MPs and MLAs have inaugurated or laid foundation for several concreted roads in Mangaluru spending crores of rupees. Even though these traffic congestions irk the passengers, officials from the public works department have shown least concern to repair the dilapidated road in these areas.

"NHAI has to take initiative"

Speaking to daijiworld, traffic ACP Tilakchandra said, "Traffic congestion at Padil and Nanthoor has been a constant problem. Vehicular movement is dead slow in these areas. We deploy at least 5-6 police personnel in these areas. We have brought this to the notice of NHAI officials several times. They have to repair the roads at least on temporary basis. If NHAI takes up the initiative of repairing the roads, the situation will definitely improve. The traffic congestion at Padil and Nanthoor can be resolved."