Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (MM)
Pics: Prajwal Ukkuda
Mangalore, Apr 21: Group of engineers and social workers here strongly criticized the officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for conducting unscientific work while carrying out four-lane work between Suratkal and B C Road, on Sunday, April 20 evening.
A meeting was organized at Hotel Woodlands' auditorium on Sunday with a view to forming a committee to save the national highway. Speaking on the occasion, well-known engineer Subhaschandra Shetty pointed out that the underpass work which is being done on the NITK Suratkal roadway had begun 3 years ago but till date they have not been able to complete it. Moreover unscientific methods have been utilized to construct this underpass, Shetty criticized.
It is incumbent upon the NHAI authorities to first build a proper service road, before embarking upon four-lane work. Instead they have directly begun the work thereby causing heavy traffic congestion which has now become a routine problem necessitating 24-hour police patrolling on this highway, he averred.
Further he criticized that laterite stones had been used for building the retaining wall, instead of granite stones. This is a major mistake on part of the NHAI authorities, he pointed out. Moreover travelers and locals have to endure and put up with heavy dust, as no sprinkling has been done by NHAI to control the dust, he added. Prashant Gavasane, the director of the said project and consultant Basavaraju have failed to to carry out this project properly. Therefore, both of them should be transferred from their posts, he sternly demanded.
Meanwhile, civil engineers who had gathered there too agreed on the detailing about this four lane project. One of the engineers mentioned that NHAI had deposited a certain amount with Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) to shift the pipelines. But NHAI has not yet decided on where it is going to construct the road. Which in turn has put the MCC authorities in a dilemma as to where the pipeline needs to be shifted.
The engineers on their part too blamed the NHAI for carrying out unplanned work on the road, without first diverting traffic properly. Even proper diversion boards had not been put on the road. Moreover there is a tendency to complete some portion of the road, and then leaving it abruptly half way. Later they would start work somewhere else. Thus they were behaving more like rats in their work, they viciously condemned.
The members at the meeting constituted a new committe called the ‘Dakshina Kannada Rashtriya Heddari Ulisi Horata Samiti.’ which resolved to meet the DC M Maheshwar Rao on Monday, April 21 with an appeal to initiate measures to accelerate the four-lane works and then also arrange for a meeting with the NHAI officials. Meanwhile, office-bearers were selected for the newly-formed committee.
Dinesh Hegde Ulepadi (president), Harikrishna Punarur (honourary president), Subhashchandra Shetty (secretary), Ravilochana Achar and Bhaskar Baikampady (joint secretaries), Raviraj (treasurer), Satish Rao Idya, Rajendra Prasad Kalbavi, T R Shenoy, Mahammad Haneef, Shriranga and Dr Shivasharan Shetty (vice-presidents) were selected as office-bearers of this committee.
An advisory committee consisting of M A Khader, Rockey Pinto, Y Mohammad Kunhi, Harish Pejavar, Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, Raghavendra, Dr Gururaj, Raj Mohan, N B Shetty, Ashok Bhandary and Dr Harikrishna was also formed on the occasion.