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Beltangady: Traffic snarls at Charmadi, Shiradi test patience of road users

  •   Mon, Oct 22 2018 09:30:17 AM

Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Oct 22: A large number of pilgrims visiting Dharmasthala and Subramanya during the holidays put lot of pressure on traffic in Shiradi Ghat section of the highway No. 75. Because of narrow highway near Donigal, traffic jam occurred often on Sunday October 21.

After a tanker carrying LPG overturned near Donigal, Sakleshpur last month, vehicular traffic had been banned for many days. The fact that one-way traffic is being enforced at a few spots between Sakleshpur and Gundya too created problems. The people were heard criticizing the department for not undertaking highway repair work after banning and regulating traffic flow. The bottlenecks in traffic however have made roadside shopkeepers happy as they have begun to get brisk business after a long lull during highway repairs.

Charmadi

After a truck carrying vegetables fell across the road at the tenth bend on Charmadi Ghat on Sunday, vehicles travelling by this route faced lot of inconveniences. For some time, traffic moved on the narrow gap by the side of the fallen truck. However, when a crane was summoned to lift the truck out of its position, a major block extending to three hours occurred. Buses and other vehicles lined up for a distance of ten kilometers on both sides of the road. Normal traffic was restored at 10 am on Sunday.

Huge potholes which have appeared all along this ghat road are creating lot of problems. Because of potholes, three lorries lost their balance and fell across the road last week. Moreover, culverts which have been built on road bends are adding to the problems of the vehicle drivers.

 
  

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  • Samson, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    The slopes adjacent to the river have been sliding down more and more with every passing day causing the concrete road to cave in at certain places and edge of the roads disappearing at others. The traffic is being routed only in one direction at a time in few such places along the 30kms stretch from Donigal to Gundya causing traffic snarls. This had also forced the authorities to stop the movement of heavy vehicles along Shirady ghat until recently. Though transport buses have been allowed to take the route after severe backlash, goods trucks are still facing the brunt. To add to the misery, some corrupt cops and home guards that are positioned along this route to control traffic have been taking “chai-nashta ka karccha” and letting selected trucks to ply in the dark of the night.

    If this road issue isn’t taken up seriously at least now then this is soon becoming a huge transit problem in this corridor and may result in large scale economic impacts. I hope now they don’t declare another closure to fix this road!

    DisAgree Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Samson, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    - The ghat was shut for a total of 19 months (11 in 2015 and 8 over 2017/18) in the name of concreting a total stretch of 26kms (Heggadde to Addahole). No political influence here, but the governments that claim of having laid thousands of kms of roads, could you please give an accountability to these approx. 589 days?

    The revenue that is lost to the vendors on these roads that are solely dependent on tourists and trucks is beyond measure. I personally know of people who had to sell their livelihood to sustain the closure time. And look what has happened now after it has finally opened, looks like NHAI is hell bent on giving some or the other a tough time.
    Let us not even talk about the plight of the trucks that transport essential goods between B'lore-M'lore. Firstly they have to bear an additional expense taking Charmadi/Agumbe/Sullia ghats, and even if they are ready to take those longer routes, most 6+ wheeled vehicles cannot handle the culverts on these ghats!

    DisAgree Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • Samson, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    It is agonizing to see how Shirady ghat, the vital link between the capital and the port cities, is now in jeopardy due to the negligence of incompetent officials and greedy politicians.
    Few pointers from my side,

    - I am surprised of the fact that no one if questioning of the unprecedented landslides in the Shirady ghat region that has now caused great damage to the road and eco system in this Western Ghat stretch. Heavy rains or raised water levels isn’t a new thing to the rain forests and rolling hills of this ghat region. This area, part of the Kaginere reserve forest has been enduring a large scale devastation in the name of development for past 10+ years.

    First they came up with the Kempuhole power project and cleared a large area of land; then came the mini hydel projects in Kadamane. Later in the years, the biggest money-making/ vote-bank project, the Etthinahole river diversion. The impact of these large scale human activity in the reserve forest area has already resulted in increased levels of human-wildlife confrontations resulting in few deaths, hardly anyone cares about it. But what it has also contributed is into the never-seen-before kind of landslides. A full load gas tanker, weighing tonnes, was brushed aside, couple of minivans buried in entirely, several places looking like freshly cut hills! The role of deforestation for hydel projects, road widening and concreting, and the impact of high intensity explosions, mining at the river diversion sites, is an instrumental factor in the miseries that are being faced today.

    DisAgree Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Satya, Mangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    First of all, I don't know why a permanent and long lasting solution is not found by first upgrading and then maintaining these ghat roads. Over the years the government has applied a quick fix and band aid policy for these roads. Crores of rupees are spent on quick fix and year after year, we hear the same story of roads breaking down, large potholes appearing etc etc. All the tax payers money has been going down the drain without a solution being found.
    Secondly, we have drivers who have money but lack brains. Maybe the money eats into their brains and makes them stupid. Even when they see that there is a jam ahead and others are following rules and waiting for the road to be cleared these morons drive on the opposite side of the road and block incoming traffic and compound the existing problem by completely choking the roads for hours. These morons should be first caught and given electric shocks so that they are cured of their brain disease which turns them into donkeys and creates public nuisance.

    DisAgree Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • KS Mayya, Mangalore/Bangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Was on the road yesterday. Frankly, except for 2 new cars (Honda City and Innova Crysta) filled with youngsters (educated enough to be on those expensive cars) and a tempo driven and carrying the deprived class there was no major issues. These chosen special drove through the wrong side while everyone had formed a single lane to slowly tread through this single lane. Finally the Innova Crysta had to reverse for quite a distance to make way for a KSRTC and thereby wasting everyone's time for about 15min.

    Frankly, it is a challenge for administration who have inherent myopic vision about transport requirement in this stretch. All they have to do, is study the traffic for the last years and correlate it with the number of registrations and then plan the roads. However, our administration is more interested in Contracts than proper planning. Thousands of crores spent are a waste when you have completely misread the numbers you are catering to. Indian middle class has aspirations and their purchasing power is increasing. They are ready to spend on the tolls as well and toll collection would have risen significantly. Still the administration cannot consider increasing the capacity consistent with usage.

    Anyway, as the saying goes, "The wise learn from other's mistakes, Normal ones learn from their mistake and fools do not even learn from their mistake" Don't know where to classify our planners.

    DisAgree Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    NHAI Engineers have no Common Sense ...

    DisAgree [5] Agree [10] Reply Report Abuse

  • Ravi, Puttur

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    I agree with you. this is what happens if you make reservation the main criteria in filling vacancies rather than competency. the end result is in front of you.

    DisAgree Agree [20] Reply Report Abuse

  • Shivachandra M S, Mangalore/Bangalore

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    I was also stuck in this traffic,I don't want to blame department because they are doing their best job.
    I want to blame the people travelling in this route.
    There were totally insensible drivers yesterday,Even if they see traffic ahead they just moved from extreme right(Opp side direction) and created bottle neck issue,
    Drivers from Mysore,Bangalore & Even Mangalore. They are simply educated,but they don't have the common sense that they should follow the lane discipline.They drive as if its their fathers property.They don't even have the akle that they are creating more and more traffic jam's.
    Some are still more extreme they just come in wrong way and assault & abuse people/vehicle coming in proper lane.These are totally educated illiterates.
    I feel our temple should take some action in this regard ,they have the key to this problem,by creating some strict rules in temple by limiting people during long holidays and weekends.
    This also causes lot of environmental impact as well.

    Eenadru aago munche Echethikoludu better

    DisAgree [3] Agree [26] Reply Report Abuse

  • Bajrangi, Mnglr

    Mon, Oct 22 2018

    Peepsi, looli, chocobaar...

    DisAgree [3] Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse


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Title: Beltangady: Traffic snarls at Charmadi, Shiradi test patience of road users



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