After 4 years, road widening work to resume in Karkala
R B Jagadish
Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (EP)
Karkala, Dec 12: Dr M T Reju, Udupi deputy commissioner on Thursday December 12 restarted the process of road widening work in Karkala all over again. The project was put on hold for the last four years. He personally met the owners of properties on alongside the road and sought their cooperation to make Karkala a model town. He was engaged in this work from Salmer to Anantashayana in the morning.
The district administration had agreed to widen the road when the people concerned consented to vacate seven feet of land on either side of the road on their own four years ago. However, the work did not materialize.
Some builders have built large buildings beside the road, reportedly against town municipality regulations. The buildings are constructed leaving only three or four feet for the road instead of the promised seven feet. As the administration took no action against them, others also backed down from their promise, thus causing the delay.
It is learnt that there's a builders' lobby that wants the administration to make only poor people vacate their land for the road. The municipality has reportedly not made such demands from prominent people in the area, it is said. The concerned locals have explained to the deputy commissioner that this was one of the reasons for their refusal to leave their land.
Deputy commissioner Dr M T Reju said that only 80% of the people have given up land on their own and the remaining 20% are being persuaded to leave. Some of them have objected to it. A separate committee has been made to convince them and the project will be completed before the next monsoons, he said.
Town municipal council president Rehmat, vice-president Shashikala Rane, tahsildar Babu Devadiga, second grade tahsildar Manikya, town chief executive officer Mabel D’ Souza, ASP Annamalai, SI Pramod, former president N R Subheet, opposition leader Prakash Rao, committee president Winnibold Mendonca, councilor and others were present.