Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Dec 4: A truck got stranded at Haleera near Mani on national highway 75 between Mangaluru and Bengaluru on Monday December 3. As a result, traffic on the highway was disrupted for five hours.
The truck in question, carrying a load of iron rods from the direction of Bengaluru, developed engine problem when it reached Haleera in Mani at around 4 am on Monday. As vehicles were moving on one side of the road till 8.30 am, the traffic was moving but slowly. When the density of vehicles increased with the passage of time, traffic was severely disrupted.
Vehicles found passing through this point very tiring till 1 pm. Light vehicles somehow managed to sneak through the point while heavy vehicles got stuck in a long line. Employees and students who had to reach their destinations on time were hard hit. Particularly several students who were to appear for examinations at Mangaluru reached with delay. Five ambulances were among the vehicles which got stuck there, as a result of which patients too suffered. Thereafter, some drivers and locals joined together and succeeded in giving a semblance of order to the vehicles and allowing the ambulances to move ahead.
As Mani is located at a junction through which two national highways pass, vehicles bound for destinations on both directions suffered. Although Vittal police station was informed about the traffic block at 8 am, police were not to be seen till 10 am after which Bantwal assistant superintendent of police was informed. The highway patrol vehicle reached the spot thereafter, and Vittal and Bantwal traffic police arrived and began to send vehicles. The operation faced problems as the driver of the stranded truck had gone away with the key of his vehicle for a long period of time.
Congress block president here, Sudeep Kumar Shetty, arranged for two backhoes to temporarily shift the truck to allow smooth flow of vehicles. On the same night, two more trucks developed problems at the same spot. They were removed with the help of cranes by Vittal station house officer.