Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 28: Work connected with the concreting and development of Shiradi Ghat stretch of national highway 75, which has already been facing delays and bottlenecks, has come across another hitch. For the second phase of concreting work on this stretch, for which tendering process had been completed earlier, re-tender has been ordered by the union ministry of road transport and highways.

As such, the current hope is that the first phase of road works will be completed by the end of May this year. As the fresh tender process and its finalization might take another six months or so, it is said that district in-charge minister and deputy commissioner of the district might favour opening of Shiradi Ghat road immediately after the first phase of work is completed.

For this 47 kilometer ghat stretch, the government proposes to conduct repairs, developments, and concreting work at a cost of Rs 155.18 crore. The first stretch of 13.62 km has now been taken up between Kempu Hole and Heggadde. Shiradi Ghat road had been closed for traffic since December 1, 2014, and the contractors have been given deadline of May end. Although the works are lagging behind now, the work is hoped to be completed before May 31.

The remaining Kempu Hole - Addahole stretch of the road measuring 33.38 km was to be completed in the second phase. It is learnt that GVK Company based in Andhra Pradesh was the only one to have entered the tender process. Although MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, and minister, D V Sadananda Gowda, appraised the union minister and other officials of the need to complete the work on this road that is like lifeline between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, the ministry did not approve it as only a single tender was received. It has ordered to go for a fresh tendering process. The chief engineer in PWD department at Bengaluru has received a communication to this effect from the union department of road transport and highways.

Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, Ramanath Rai, has held consultation with the deputy commissioner of the district on this situation. He is of the opinion that it would be better to open the road for traffic immediately after the conclusion of the first phase of work. However, if this is done, once the second phase tender process is completed in about six months, the road will have to be closed for traffic again by December or January next. Without closure of the road, repair and development works will not be possible because of several narrow stretches. Rai said that he will personally visit Shiradi to get to know the ground reality and then decide about the best course of action. Already people are facing lot of problems in reaching their destinations by using alternative routes.