M'lore: Chaotic Road Works – Distraught Citizens Observe Bikarnatakatte Bandh
 
Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS/SP)
 
Mangalore, Feb 10: As many as 600 residents of Bikarnakatte in the city took out a procession from Nanthoor to Bikarnakatte, which culminated near the Infant Jesus arch, in protest against the long-pending and haphazard execution of road works of national highway 13, on Thursday February 10.

Political leaders were conspicuous by their absence during the protest march that began at 10 am, and the locals have termed it as a voluntary bandh. The work on this road, which was scheduled to be completed in the month of December last year, is still pending, resulting in thick dust clouds rising out of the road, which have been causing breathlessness and other related problems for the local people. Crushed stones spread on loose soil are jutting out on this stretch of the road, and the stones fly like shrapnel when wheels of vehicles move on them, endangering the lives of the pedestrians and drivers of neighbouring vehicles.
 
The shops and commercial complexes in the area remained closed, and the people came together to voice their grievances against the apathy of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the district administration towards their plight.
 
Vasanth Master, speaking to Daijiworld, said that the authority has tried to hoodwink the people by just sprinkling water along the road for controlling of the dust. But, after two days, this drama that was also stopped, he claimed. Lack of proper drainage system in the area has given rise to a fear among the residents about the possibility of artificial flooding of the areas located adjacent to the national highway.
 
The local people also had submitted an appeal to the Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner (DC) on January 31 this year, duly explaining to him the difficult situation prevailing in the area. The media also had given wide coverage to the grievances of these people. The DC had, at that time, assured them that the road works would be completed within ten days.
 
The protestors have warned that they will lay siege the NHAI office located at Valencia in the city, if the road work is not completed within a month’s time.