Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi
Udupi, Jul 13: A car veered off National Highway 169A and crashed into the premises of the municipal drinking water treatment plant at Eshwar Nagar in Manipal late on Sunday night, leaving its occupants injured.
According to available information, the car, bearing registration number KA-20 ME-8968, was travelling from Manipal towards Athradi when the driver reportedly lost control. The vehicle veered off the highway and rammed into the drinking water treatment plant owned by the municipality.
The impact of the crash was severe, causing the car's airbags to deploy. The occupants, believed to be teenage students, sustained head injuries and were rushed to a hospital for treatment. Their current health status is yet to be officially confirmed.
Local residents stated that accidents have occurred repeatedly at the exact location, blaming the incomplete and unscientific execution of works on National Highway 169A. They alleged that the absence of crash barriers, protective fencing, and proper road signs has made this particular stretch highly accident-prone.
Residents also pointed out that the drinking water treatment plant, which supplies water under an agreement with a hospital in Manipal and is privately maintained, lacks a proper protective boundary wall. They claimed the original wall was demolished during the highway expansion works but has not been rebuilt since.
Locals further alleged that the highway widening project remains incomplete due to pending legal issues, leaving motorists descending from the Manipal side with the false impression that the road continues straight ahead. At high speeds, vehicles frequently overshoot the carriageway and end up inside the plant premises. They recalled that noted Tulu actor Bhojaraj Vamanjoor had also met with an accident at the same spot in the past.
The public has urged the district administration and the National Highways authorities to complete the pending road works, install crash barriers and protective fencing, and improve overall road safety measures to prevent further mishaps at the location.