Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Oct 27: Chief engineer of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Laxmanrao Peshwe, has clarified that Shiradi ghat road will not be closed for traffic till the ongoing work of repairing of drains is completed. He added that a decision on the issue of road closure would be taken after November 15.

He was addressing a meeting of a delegation of senior officials, officers of the authority. and members of 'Shiradi Ulisi' action committee members at Gundia village after inspecting the Shiradi stretch of national highway 75 on Wednesday October 26.

"We had planned to close the highway from October first week and had also chosen alternative roads for diversion of traffic. But the repair work on drains had not begun. We will issue show cause notices to contractors for their failure to complete repair work on time. We will not allow closure of highway stretch till at least 50 percent of drains are repaired and 70 percent of materials are stocked," he explained.

He asked the concerned to asphalt the 13 km stretch of the road that is being taken up for concreting soon as this road is in very bad shape now and there is a need to make it motorable till the road works are taken up. Representative GVR Company to which contract for road development has been entrusted to, Venkateshwarulu, said that repair of 11 drains is in finishing stage and that the remaining 36 drain works would be completed before November 15.

Superintending engineer, Raghavan, executive engineer, M O Ramesh, assistant executive engineer, Prasannakumar, assistant engineer, Muniraj, president of 'Shiradi Ghat Ulisi' action committee, Sanjith Shetty and others were present.