Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jul 28: The ore-laden trucks that have damaged several roads of the twin districts and forced Barkur bridge to crumble under their pressure two years ago, are aiming to break the back of Kuloor bridge near here. The ore trucks which are arriving here on way to New Mangalore Port through Shiradi ghat road are being lined up on this bridge, pending unloading.

This bridge is now forced to take on a total of over 400 tonnes at a time, taking into account the weight of the loaded trucks that are parked on this bridge. In addition, the continuous movement of buses, trucks and vehicles on this road exerts more pressure on the bridge. It may be recalled that the government took more than a year to reconstruct Barkur bridge. If the bridge wilts under pressure, the only other bridge running parallel to it by its side, where only one-way traffic can be allowed, cannot handle traffic of this magnitude. Hence, the lives of the people and the economic activities in the city will be seriously jeopardized.

It may be recalled that BJP which is now ruling the state, had actively participated in the anti-ore trucks campaign taken up since 2004. Then the party was in the opposition. Now, the people who run iron ore mines are unofficially running the state government operations. Hence it would be futile to expect the party or government officials to address this problem, opine political pundits.

Opposition Congress too is tight-lipped in the matter, after organizing some pale protests in the past. It also seems to have resigned itself to the ineffectiveness of organizing protests, as some of its own leaders are into mining activities and minting money. The trucks that are rooling the roost on the national highway 17, damaging the roads, throwing traffic out of gear, creating filthy conditions wherever they are parked and playing with the lives of the citizens through series of accidents, continue in the same vein. It is clear, that the government is not earning much in terms of royalty on the mined iron ore, taking into account the fact that most of the ore is unaccounted for and transported on the basis of fake documents, and also the losses the government incurs due to damaged roads and bridges, crippled lives and traffic snarls.

Who will come to the rescue of the harassed people and frustrated vehicles users who use this road? No answer seems to be in sight at present.