Daijiworld News Network (VM)

Mangalore, Feb 15: The residents of Suratkal, united under a forum comprising school and college teachers, representatives of management committees of educational institutions, voluntary organisations and corporators has urged the Union Government to modify the plan of the proposed flyover on National Highway 17 at Suratkal. The demand has been placed to ensure safety of school going children.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday February 14, M S Krishna Bhat, the former chairman of the Karnataka Bank, and vice-president of Hindu Vidyadayini Sangha said that Suratkal has a number of educational institutions, and schoolchildren have to cross the National Highway 17 everyday. There is heavy traffic on the highway and the area has witnessed many accidents. The forum has learnt that NHAI has planned to allow one-way traffic (from Mangalore to Udupi) on the road, while traffic from Udupi to Mangalore (one- way) will be allowed on the flyover.

As per the plan flyover will be three-lane and one-way to facilitate vehicular movement from Udupi to Mangalore. Instead, the NHAI should construct a four-lane, two-way flyover to enable traffic from Udupi to Mangalore and from Mangalore to Udupi on the flyover to avoid congestion of traffic on the road.

With the proposed project the lives of the students are under serious threat. In order to ensure the safety of the school children the existing project should be changed to four-lane (17.5 meters wide) two-way express flyover which will not only ensure the safety of the children but also will provide safe and smooth transport passage to high density vehicles.

Nearly 7,000 children between the ages of four and 18 attend schools and colleges in the area, and a four-lane, two-way flyover will be safe and more beneficial.