Yashodhara Bangera
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Jul 16: The people of the region have since long been waiting for their dream of the Mangaluru-Solapur national highway 169 getting widened realized, as they have repeatedly heard from different people's representatives that such a proposal was in the pipeline. They are now shocked to learn from the union department of surface transport and national highways that no proposal for widening this highway is under its consideration.
Sudhakar Poonja from Badaga Yedapadavu had sought information from the above ministry and also from the National Highways Authority of India under the Right to Information Act, about the receipt of proposal by the department for widening this road and its current status. While the ministry said it has not received any proposal for the above purpose, project director of National Highways Authority of India's Mangaluru office replied that national highway 169 would be upgraded as per the rules and regulations of the union surface transport and national highways department. The reply also states that passenger car unit (PCU) density as calculated at Kaikamba between Mangaluru and Moodbidri stands at 14,703. Widening proposal is yet to be submitted to the ministry and approval has not yet been accorded, it added.
With this, the hopes about this road getting widened soon have been crashed to the ground. As per the norms relating to widening national highways into four-lane roads, PCU of 15,000 has been prescribed. As against this, the density of 14,703 is only marginally lower. But it needs to be taken into consideration that this road is only three to five metres wide at several places. For example, the road is very narrow at Gurpur Bridge, which was built during pre-independence era, Gurpur town, Yedapadavu, Moodbidri town, Sanoor, Chilimbi etc. This road also has a number of curves because of existence of places of bio diversity as well as heritage and religious sites by the side of the road. It may be recalled that because of these deterrents, the officials had been confessing off the records that let alone converting this into four-lane road, even widening of the road would be a daunting task.
When pressure was built up as far back as in 2010 itself, people's representatives had started assuring the people that the project of widening this road was in the pipeline, and works would begin soon. In September 2010, the then district in-charge minister, Krishna J Palemar, had stated that the ministry had given green signal for the widening of national highway 169 after conducting preliminary survey. Veerappa Moily allowed the expectations of the people to swell by claiming that the work on national highway 169 would be taken up and completed by 2014. Minister, Abhay Chandra Jain, stated in February 2014 that survey work relating to four-laning of this highway had concluded. Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, stated in January 2015 that meeting had been slated for January 15 towards widening this road to 45 metres.
Some reports which appeared in publications in January 2014 had said that proposal had been submitted for widening road between Karkala and Shimoga, but it had not yet been approved. Executive engineer, in his response during January, had said that an integrated project report had been prepared as per which the road between Kulshekar and Moodbidri would be four-lane, and the road thereafter till Karkala would be two-lane.
Union transport minister, Nitin Gadkari, had said on May 30, 2015 at Bengaluru that the national highway between Shivamogga and Mangaluru would be developed at a cost of Rs 2,300 crore. In June 1015, Abhay Chandra Jain again said that union government had given its nod for widening of Karkala-Moodbidri-Mangaluru into two-lane road, and that it was undergoing tender process. In the same month, MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, had said that project for widening this road was ready, and project report with an outlay of Rs 245 crore had been sent. Interestingly, in July first week he said the Mangaluru-Karkala national highway work costing Rs 1,800 crore would be taken up at an early date.