Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 18: Dakshina Kannada member of parliament, Nalin Kumar Kateel, mediated between the parties who have been demanding the repair of Suratkal-Kana road that has been reduced into a path of numerous potholes on account of movement of bullet tankers of mega companies, and the company officials at his office here on Monday October 17. At the end of the discussions, the companies concerned agreed to conduct road repairs worth Rs 1.5 crore during this year.

The MP intervened in the matter after city mayor, Harinath, wrote to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, about the repair of Suratkal-Kana road.

During the discussions, it was noted that concreting of the road requires an investment of about Rs 45 crore. Therefore, it was decided to initially take up patch work for a year. The proposal to set up tollgate and collection of charges from bullet tankers was also considered at the meeting. Collection of toll charges requires prior approval of the state government. Towards putting up proposal, survey work of bullet tankers has been undertaken under the leadership of deputy commissioner of the district, Dr K G Jagadish. Another round of meeting is scheduled for October 21.

Harinath had written in the past to the deputy commissioner, chief minister, and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), drawing their attention to the wretched state of Suratkal-Kana road. Although he got response from the chief minister, MRPL failed to write to him back. He had thereafter convened a press conference in which he had launched diatribe against MRPL and warned the company that he would take to streets to protest against its attitude.

Thereafter, MRPL, in a letter to the mayor, said that it does not have funds for repairing of the road. The mayor thereafter wrote to the Prime Minster and MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel. In this background, meeting was held on Monday with the participation of officials of MRPL, BASF and Hindustan Petrolium Corporation Ltd. City mayor, Harinath, chairman of corporation's standing committee, Lancylot Pinto, corporation commissioner, Muhammed Nazeer, engineers of the city corporation, MRPL representative, Lakshmi Kumaran, officials of BASF, HPCL and National Highways Authority of India participated.

Under pressure from the city corporation, NHAI has also agreed to build underpass at KPT Junction in partnership with the city corporation for the pedestrians.