Pics: Manju Neereshwallya
Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)
Puttur, Jun 24: Dakshina Kannada member of parliament (MP), Nalin Kumar Kateel, visited Shiradi on Tuesday June 23 and inspected ongoing road development works.
There have been complaints that the progress of road works on this ghat section has been painstakingly slow. There were apprehensions that the concerned may not be able to meet the revised deadline of July 25 announced by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials sometime back.
Kateel explained to media persons present after the inspection that out of the road concreting/asphalting work for the 13 km stretch, 11.6 km of road has already been completed. He said that he expected this road to be thrown open for traffic by August 15.
He also said that he has instructed the officials to hasten the pace of road works to at least meet this deadline, as people are going through lot of hardships on account of closure of this road.
"For the remaining 13 km stretch proposed to be undertaken for development in second phase, tender has been finalized and sent to central government for approval. The government has given its nod for transforming the road between Addahole and BC Road into four-lane one. Tender for this work will be floated during December," he explained.
NHAI Sakleshpur division assistant executive engineer, Prasanna Kumar, said that the speed of work was hit as the region received heavy rain during April and May. He added that work had to be suspended on account of heavy rain for the last five days, but it has been resumed now. He explained that on an average, 200 metres of the road concreting could be got done now, although the machinery has the capacity to lay 400 metres road, because of impediment created by rain.
MLA, S Angara, zilla panchayat president, Asha Timappa Gowda, vice president, Satish Kumpala, taluk panchayat president, Pulasya Rai, zilla panchayat member, Balakrishna Banajal, APMC president, Krishna Shetty, former MLA, Rukmaya Poojary, BJP leaders, Sanjeeva Matandoor and Harish Kanjipili, along with several others had accompanied the MP.