Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Sep 28: A prime example of a road seemingly built to be demolished is the Smart Road stretch from Clock Tower to A B Shetty Circle in the city.

Three years ago, the road from Clock Tower to Hamilton Circle at State Bank was open to two-way traffic. The local administration deemed the road unsuitable and converted it to a one-way stretch at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. Now, within three years, due to widespread objections, the road is being reverted to two-way traffic, leading to a waste of taxpayers' money.

Before 2021, the road from Clock Tower to A B Shetty Circle and further to Hamilton Circle was two-way, with a road divider ensuring smooth traffic flow. However, as the city bus stand extended from Hamilton Circle to Rao and Rao Circle, that stretch was made one-way. Similarly, the road from Rao and Rao to Clock Tower became one-way. In an MCC meeting on August 14, 2021, it was decided to make the Clock Tower–A B Shetty Circle–Hamilton Circle–Clock Tower road one-way. The then city police commissioner, N Shashikumar, also issued an order to this effect.

Once the stretch was made one-way, several issues arose. Vehicles entering the stretch had to make a full round to exit, causing heavy congestion from Rao and Rao to Hamilton Circle. Public and traders complained from the outset. The increased speed on RTO Road made it difficult for traffic police to control the rising number of accidents. One side of the road became a parking lot for private vehicles, and illicit trade also flourished. The administration has now decided to revert the road to two-way traffic.

A local trader commented, "Rs 2 crore was spent on the Clock Tower–A B Shetty Circle stretch of road in the name of the Smart City project. Now, to make it two-way again, public money will have to be spent. No one is questioning the administration's decisions. If this kind of make-and-break approach continues, what's the point of having the MCC and engineers in the Smart City projects?"

In a recent MCC meeting, DCP Dinesh Kumar remarked that the previous two-way traffic system from Clock Tower to Hamilton Circle was better. He noted that the one-way system had caused many problems and added that the footpath, which had been widened for one-way traffic, would need to be narrowed to accommodate two-way traffic again.