Bantwal: Locals threaten to boycott elections if road not repaired

Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)

Bantwal, Feb 25: The locals of Siddakatte – Karpe vicinity threatened to boycott elections if the Siddakatte – Karpe road is not repaired and blocked Moodbidri-BC Road state highway for sometime on Tuesday, February, 25.

The people were annoyed that their earlier appeals for repairs of the road had been ignored.  It is said that the road filled with potholes was rendered unmotorable and had not been repaired for the last fifteen years.

The protesters said that their requests to the officials concerned, people's representatives and the commissioner have yielded no results and demanded that the zilla panchayat officials come to the place.

As the concerned did not come to the place, they blocked the Moodbidri-BC Road state highway and some slept on it.

Zilla panchayat member Nalini B Shetty who arrived then, said that the work was not started due to lack of funds. 

BJP leaders, former minister B Nagaraja Shetty, Sulochana G K Bhat, Taluk panchayat member Revati R Poojary, Ratnakumar Chowta, grama panchayat member Sandesh Shetty, Satish Poojary, S P Sridhar, rikshaw owners and drivers, pick up vehicle owners and drivers, bus owner Dr Ramaraya Prabhu and others participated in the protest.

“The proposal of widening 13 km long Siddakatte – Karpe – Annalike road at a cost of Rs eight crore was sent by minister Ramanath Rai to the government and it is in the process of approval.  The tender process will start soon,” said former Sangabettu gram panchayat president Prabhakar Prabhu to the protesters.

The protest was called off after zilla panchayat president Koragappa Naik assured the protesters that he would speak to the officials regarding road development and urge them to take action.