Puttur: Dusty Shiradi Ghat Road - CBI Inquiry to Clear Air
Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)
Puttur, Oct 21: After a spate of allegations, counter allegations, clarifications etc. over the improper repairs of the Shiradi Ghat road, which is a part of the national highway between Mangalore and Bangalore, that involved closing down the road for traffic for about nine months and expenditure of several crores of rupees, a division bench of the state High Court has ordered Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the irregularities and apathy of government officials that have been responsible for the terrible state of this just-repaired national highway stretch.
While allegations were made that crores of rupees have gone down the drain in the name of repairs of this stretch of national highway 48 which started crumbling with the first rain of the monsoon season, various theories were making the rounds, including the faulty design, sub-standard materials etc. for the damage suffered by this lifeline between Mangalore and Mangalore.
File Photo
Advocates Krishna Bhat and Ramesh Puttige had, through a public interest litigation, petitioned the High Court's interference in the matter, saying that the national highway repair works conducted between Sakleshpur in Hassan district and Uppinangadi in Dakshina Kannada district had been grossly sub-standard and had suffered acute damages within a few days of conducting these extensive repairs.
The division bench headed by the High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, which heard the case, directed the government to hold an inquiry about the quality of the road works and also the apathy of the officials concerned, with help from the Indian Institute of Science and the CBI, and to take action against the erring officials based on the findings thereof.
The petitioners had alleged that the officials did not conduct spot visits at the time of the execution of the road repairs and therefore, were guilty of dereliction of duty. Further, by issuing certificates to the contractors about the quality of the road works, they have defrauded the public, they had charged.
Prima facie, it has been found that the officials have committed breach while giving the road repair works on contract, in violation of the rules of the Indian Road Congress. It has also been found, that they have erred in fixing the weight limit for the goods transport vehicles that ply on the road, the petitioners said, and had requested for holding of CBI inquiry into all these aspects and also to repair and restore the damaged Shiradi Ghat stretch of the national highway.
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