Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Aug 12: An ambitious project of the people of Dakshina Kannada has been stalled for the past two years. Due to technical reasons, the development work of national highway 75, which connects Mangaluru with the capital city of Bengaluru in the shortest possible time, is stalled halfway.

The hills which are dug for this project turn into ponds during the monsoon season. The 75 km road widening project between B C Road to Addahole has been halted for two years. L&T company which had taken the contract for Rs 821 crore in 2017 has stopped the work halfway citing a loss in the project. Due to this, there is a chance of landslide from the hill portion that is dug for this project.

In addition to the construction of roads, the plan included the construction of 14.5 km long service roads, two flyovers, two big bridges, 14 small bridges, nine underpasses and toll plaza. Though the company started the project at a brisk pace, it faced many obstacles while completing 45 km of road widening.

The company had to reconstruct one road, which was already built, as stones and mud started falling on it. The company had requested the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to give compensation of Rs 108 crore for the same reason. But NHAI did not pay heed to the request of the company, due to which L&T has stopped the work of building the highway.

Two years have passed since L&T stopped the work. The general public is facing difficulties while using the half-done roads, especially during the rainy season. People are urging people’s representatives to start work again as soon as possible.