Report: Stany Bela
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Puttur, Jul 19: After the 13 kilometre stretch in Shiradi Ghat was opened for commuters on July 15, the road has become a new favourite especially among those who travel between Mangaluru and Bengaluru.
The arterial Bengaluru-Mangaluru road which connects important places like Dharmasthala was completely closed for almost six months for the second phase upgradation work. Not just people of Dakshina Kannada but travellers from Goa and the rest of Karnataka were eagerly waiting for the completion of the Ghat road as it is a crucial link which connects the coast to the hinterland.
Within few days of its opening, large number of tourists from various parts of the country arrived to the Ghats to enjoy the monsoon and scenery. Devotees from eastern parts of Karnataka are also using this road to visit religious places such as Dharmasthala, Subramanya and Kateel. Meanwhile, many are commuting on this road just for the joy of it to enjoy the lush greenery and the waterfalls that adorn the Ghats.
Tourists stopping vehicles at various spots just to admire the beauty or play in the waterfall has become a common sight. The railway bridge over Gundya River and the view of waterfalls like silver lines in the surrounding hills tempts anyone with a camera to capture the beauty in one frame.
Ramesh from Bengaluru, who came for a drive at the Ghat after its opening, met Daijiworld team, who had travelled on the new road for a reality-check. “Driving through the new stretch is quite easy when compared to earlier times. It tempts the driver to increase the speed. But we cannot enjoy the beauty of nature when we travel in speed. We need to move slowly and stop our vehicles near the major curves. From here we can see hills covered with dense forests. Same time between Gundya to Marana Halli, we can see 10 to 12 small waterfalls on the road sides. The drive through Shiradi Ghats especially during the rainy season is amazing,” says Ramesh.
However, he also raises concern regarding big trees on one side of the road while the other side is a steep cliff. “During rainy season there are possibilities of trees falling on roads or vehicles. Of course, there are concrete barricades on the other side. But I am not sure the barricades will block the vehicles falling from the cliff. The height of this barricade is low and seems to be constructed in an unscientific manner. Same time there are no sign boards on the sides of the road. One needs to be extra careful while travelling on this stretch,” he adds.
Officials claim work is completed. In reality it requires 2 more months
At the time of inauguration, ministers and officials claimed that the construction work of Shiradi Ghats is completed. But at the same time, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada directed the contractors to complete the pending work within fifteen days. Based on this order, the contractors are trying to finish the work without giving importance to safety parameters.
Because of this, on the fourth day itself, the safety wall near Gundya had fallen. In many places the concrete walls do not have proper foundation. The concrete slabs have been planted in half feet deep mud. In some places landslides have occurred.
Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada has strictly banned heavy vehicles from using this road. But the very next day of its opening, large numbers of heavy vehicles were seen on this road neglecting safety guidelines.
In 2015, the first phase upgradation of 13 kilometres stretch from Maranahalli to Kempuhole was done at a cost of Rs 80 crore. Now in the second phase, concretisation of 12.38 kilometres stretch from Kempuhole to Addahole has been done at a cost of Rs 74 crore. There are 74 drains in this stretch.
The work in the first phase was done in 2015. From January 2, 2015, the road was closed for traffic. However, the concreting work began only on April 20, 2015, and the road was opened for the use of commuters on August 9, 2015.
The second phase of work started on January 20 this year.
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