Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (PS/CN)
 
Udupi, Sep 11: The Padubidri anti-bypass committee has urged the immediate resolution of the row that has arisen with regard to the widening work on the National Highway 66 (NH 66) near Padubidri.
 
At a press conference organised at Amar Comforts here recently, committee leader Deviprasad Shetty said that unnecessary confusion has been caused. “By initiating the work on road widening, the confusion should be evaded. It is ridiculous that those who have built their buildings illegally are now raising issues,” he said.
 
The work on widening NH 66 between Surathkal and Kundapur is underway. This is a project of the central and state government.
 
“In Padubidri, a few vested interest capitalists passed wrong information to the Highway Authority as well as the central and state government and created a new concept of ‘bypass’. The four lane project under the National Highway Widening Project Act is to be carried out under legal purview and the district administration too said that a bypass is not the correct decision. Already, those who constructed buildings were supposed to do so after keeping aside a 40 meter space as per National Highway Act 1972. The district commissioner (DC) at a meeting, had told that this rule was overridden by few people,” added Deviprasad Shetty.
 
Naveen Chandra Shetty said that the bypass road, if constructed, will pass through the land belonging to people belonging to the SC, ST  categories (depending on agriculture solely) and farmers in places like Padubidri, Yermal, Nadsalu, Padebettu Beedu, Ramanagara, Abbedi, Suzlon Colony, and Deen Street.

“With this, more numbers of agricultural families, about 45 houses, and hundreds of families will be in the streets without homes. The district administration also stated that the bypass project involves huge expenditure and is time consuming. The widening of the highway is of comparatively low cost. If the bypass road is constructed, it will be a boon to land grabbers,” added Naveen Chandra Shetty.
 
“The highway widening is scientific and the district administration, state, and central governments should not fall prey to any pressure and the work also should be initiated with immediate effect. The committee will submit a memorandum to central, state governments, ministers, people representatives, district administration, and highway authority. If the bypass project is forcefully executed then be ready to counter a strong protest,” he warned.
 
Committee members Mithun R Hegde, Divakar Rao, Jaya Shetty, Abdul Azeez, Mohan Rao, Abdul Khader, Vasudev Rao, Chandrahas Shetty, Suresh Shetty, and Hameed Padubidri were present.