Yashodhar Bangera
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (EP)
Mangalore, Jun 7: Though nearby panchayats are being developed and some are way ahead, Padumarnadu gram panchayat in Moodbidri has been in deep slumber for the last several years. The locals are facing a tough time, and one example of the panchayat's lethargy is its failure to repair the road leading from national highway to the panchayat office.
Acharakatte is the center of Padumarnadu village. The road leading to the panchayat office from Bannadka to Acharakatte on Mangalore - Karkala national highways is in a shambles. The two-kilometer road is filled with potholes due to lack of maintenance. The bitumen has worn off. Vehicle drivers in an attempt to avoid one pothole, land in another. When it rains, the potholes are not even visible. The road is not motorable and and unfit even to walk on.
The tar road is on the verge of becoming a mud road. A mud road is at a stone's throw away from the panchayat, connecting Kesargadde and Gundukallu from Acharikatte. Vehicles are bound to tumble while turning towards Kesargadde cross road due to potholes, and many have already met with accidents on this spot.
The demand of locals for a transport bus is yet to be met. People with private vehicles somehow come to Moodbidri and Bannadka.
Those without vehicles have to travel by autos paying exorbitant rates. Driving autos also is a matter of headache for auto drivers. Auto drivers are reluctant to drive their vehicles on this road for fear of damaging them.
It is unfortunate that poor people have to walk for two kilometers to come to Bannadka. As the street lights are not working, it is dangerous not only for women but also for men to travel on this road.
Sooraj, a resident here, said that the road has been in a state of complete disrepair for the last two years. "Requests made to Padumarnadu panchayat and taluk panchayat have been futile. Panchayat members have not even responded. If action is not taken soon, we will lock the panchayat office and protest," he said.
Madhava, an auto driver said that more than diesel, it is maintenance of the auto that drains his pocket. "The distance that should take only five minutes to cover takes half an hour," he said.