The Hindu

Puttur, Feb 19: Heavy vehicles continue to ply on the Shiradi Ghat road, even the agency entrusted with the work, which has completed concreting one side of eight critical curves, began concreting the second half a few days ago. Work on concreting one side of five more curves is in progress. In all, 13 curves have to be concreted.

Reports reaching here said that some officials of the Mangalore Division of the National Highways, including a senior officer, were manhandled by a group of people in a sports utility vehicle at Gundya on Sunday evening when the former objected to the movement of heavy vehicles on the road. Later, that vehicle left for Sakaleshpur. Other heavy vehicles from Gundya followed it, sources said.Confirming this incident, the sources in the division told The Hindu here on Monday that the officials of the division were helpless as there was no one to rescue them.

The officials, however, managed to called up the police at Sakleshpur from Gundya junction. They were not sure if the police at Sakleshpur were able to arrest them. "We did not receive any intimation from police," an official said. This incident happened a few days after a senior official in the Dakshina Kannada dministration, at a press conference in the presence of Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa, was assured of steps being initiated to prevent heavy vehicles from plying on the ghat section.

A contractor, who did not want his name mentioned, told The Hindu on Monday that it was shocking that the police, officials from the Regional Transport Office and the district administration had taken the incident lightly.

"Heavy vehicles continue to ply on the ghat section, especially between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. Trucks ply in a convoy. Only the police can prevent them. If the situation continues, it will not be possible to complete concreting remaining half of the critical curves," he said.

"If the movement of all types of vehicles is banned between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., the concreting of the 13 critical curves can be completed by April-end. Otherwise, it will take longer," the contractor said.

Roadworks

Official sources said that another contract agency implementing roadworks had completed laying the first layer of dense bituminous macadam (DBM) on the stretch between Durgamba Rice Mill and Heggade covering 11 km. On top of that a concrete layer of 40-mm thickness will be laid.

On the stretch between Heggadde and Adda Hole bridge covering a distance of 26 km, barring a 12-km stretch, the work of filling potholes and rebuilding of curves has been completed. The contractor will have to lay two fresh DBM layers and a concrete layer after filling the potholes on the remaining stretch, the sources said.