Pics: Aditya Aithal
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)
Udupi, Mar 17: The Udupi City National Highway Agitation Committee will stage a protest rally over the prolonged delay in constructing the Indrali Railway Bridge. The rally, coinciding with an April Fool’s Day demonstration, will be held on April 1 at 2.30 pm from Kalsanka to Indrali.
Chief convener of the committee, Amruth Shenoy, addressing the media at a press conference on March 17, said, “We had initially planned to hold the protest on March 1, but due to my mother’s severe illness and her passing on March 2, we postponed it. For the past nine years, officials have been misleading us with false deadlines. They do not even have the courtesy to provide a valid reason for the delay. To organize our efforts more effectively, we have appointed Keerthi Shetty as president of the committee, along with seven vice presidents and leaders from various organizations. We are committed to fighting until the bridge is constructed. Since the highway and railway departments, along with the central government, have deceived us for so long, we will mark the day with a special April Fool’s Day protest.”
Committee president Keerthi Shetty Ambalpady announced that around 2,000 people are expected to take part in the rally. “A temporary office will be set up to keep reminding the authorities of our demands. They keep talking about blacklisting contractors, but we will not stop our fight until the construction is completed,” he affirmed.
A poster for the protest was released on the occasion.
As part of the protest, a model of the long-pending railway bridge will be displayed. Additionally, a group led by Anser Ahemmad will stage a symbolic act by dressing as beggars and collecting money to highlight the need for funds to complete the construction.
Vice presidents Mahabal Kundar, Charles Ambler, Kushal Shetty, Hariprasad Rai, and conveners Anser Ahemmad, Abdul Hajij Udyavar, Meenakshi Madhava Bannaje, Sudarshan Suvarna, Yadava Amin, Sadanand Manipal, and others were present at the press conference.