Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, May 4: Vehicles moving in the city come across various boards on their way, asking them either to deviate from their path or to go back. For example, traffic has been banned on K S Rao Road. The road between MCC Bank, Hampankatta to St Aloysius College has been closed. In Bunder, movement of vehicles in certain roads has been blocked. In several more places, the placards warning the vehicle drivers to move slowly as work is in progress welcomes the vehicles.

Taking advantage of the lesser density of vehicles during the lockdown-like curfew in the city, the smart city work has been given a fillip. The administration, as such, has restricted movement of vehicles in various places.

Water used to get accumulated on K S Rao Road during the monsoon months, creating a lot of problems for the people. The problem arose because of the fact that the main drain here is constricted. Therefore, under the smart city project, the work of widening the drain has been undertaken. One side of the road was closed here and after completing works there, traffic on the other side was allowed. It was planned to undertake work in three phases. But because the vehicular traffic now is minimal, the road has been closed and work is being executed at a faster pace.

On the Light House Road, re-concreting of the road where the road turns to the left towards the City Centre has been undertaken by closing this road. Under smart city, various other works are also going on in Hampankatta area. In the Bunder area, out of several roads which had been dug up for underground drainage works, the work of concreting some among them has been undertaken. Therefore, movement of vehicles remains blocked in some roads here. Currently, works on both side of the road between A B Shetty circle to town hall are also moving ahead. The expansion of road between Jeppinamogaru and Morgans Gate has also been started.

At the same time, the road leading from Sri Ramakrishna Math to Pandeshwar is also being expanded.

The project of building multi-level car parking at the old bus stand at Hampankatta has been approved. The agency is preparing to start works here. But for the lockdown, the works would have started after the customary Bhoomi Puja. It is learnt that there is a possibility of work on this project starting early.

Now works have been started because the traffic is less. But there is no information on how many days the work will take. As per the current information, the current lockdown will be in place till May 12. If commercial activities are allowed thereafter, and if the works are not completed by then, traffic will pose a huge problem here. As the beginning of the monsoon season is only some days away, the works undertaken need to be completed on a war footing.

Mayor Premananda Shetty, stated that the agencies have been asked to swiftly execute the works going on now. He asked the people to support the works which are undertaken with a view to develop the city.