Mangalore: Suratkal Flyover Opens, Fifth to Become Operational in City
Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Mar 20: Suratkal flyover has been finally thrown open to public after prolonged delays, a few days after the Kulur one was opened for traffic. With this 5 of the 6 flyovers in Mangalore are finally operational, giving a sigh of relief to the public who went through an ordeal during this intervening period facing lot of hardships due to the inordinate delays. Though as per the original plan there were 7 flyovers (Suratkal, Kulur, Kottara Chowky, Kuntikan, Nanthoor and Maroli) the most important flyover in Nanthoor had to be shelved due to various reasons. The court cases even halted the work pertaining to the widening of the road.
The work at the only remaining flyover at Maroli is now going on in full swing and is expected to be completed by June this year. With all the six flyovers becoming fully operational it is expected that the busy roads of NH 13, 17 and NH 48 will have less traffic woes in the coming years. Though two more court cases pertaining to this area are pending NHAI authorities are going ahead with the work in the land already acquired.
NHAI Project Director N Gawasane speaking to daijiworld.com said “work is going on in full swing at Maroli, the only pending flyover and we are expecting to complete the work by the end of June this year”. If things go by as envisaged Mangaloreans can now say goodbye to the nightmarish experience they had all these years. The work on 37.4 kms road from Suratkal to B C Road had begun in November 2007 and was to be completed by December 2008. But due to court cases and the lackadaisical approach of the city corporation and MESCOM and numerous court cases for land acquisition acted as impediments delaying the project enormously.
It is a major breather to the motorists that the haphazard half done road at Nanthoor junction is finally taken up for repair by NHAI after a gap of almost 3 years. Motorists went through parlous moments all these years driving in this road especially during raining seasons. It is said this work at Nanthoor junction will be completed by this month end. It is a big reprieve, indeed, considering that motorists will be spared of one another rainy season driving through this road to hell.
Court cases and delay in shifting utilities has been the main cause for delaying the entire project. According to Gawasane there were 24 court cases in the entire project which delayed the process of acquiring the land for widening the road. Even the Nanthoor Junction flyover was delayed due to court cases. Gawasane said there were four cases altogether including one in Supreme Court which NHAI has won. Two more court cases are pending it does not come in the way of the work pertaining to the flyover as of now.
Even the Suratkal flyover which has become operational just two days ago was delayed due to court cases pertaining to the two buildings. Even the Kulur flyover faced similar situation as the flyover was delayed due to the myopic vision of the city corporation which dithered to shift the utility works, engrossed as they were in their own squabbles. They were utterly adamantine and cared a fig to the numerous requests of NHAI authorities to shift the utilities. Finally it was thrown open for the public last month thus bringing to an end the congestion on that road.
NHAI Project Director Gawasane says it was unfair to criticize NHAI for the delay. “We had no other option but to burry some of the cables of MESCOM during the road widening work on the B C Road stretch”, Gawasane revealed. He also added “it is the fundamental responsibility of the client to make the land available. We can carry on the work only when there are no impediments on our way. People criticize us not knowing about these minutiae details”.
The people who have gone through horrendous experience all these years when the work pertaining to the flyovers has been going on, at last will have some respite from traffic snarls and the and dust and the noise. There is a possibility that they might have become immune to it over the years. Of course, lot of work pertaining to the flyovers is still pending even though they have become operational. So people will have to live with this for some more time.
There are concerns over the quality of these flyovers and reality or their qualitative aspects will be known only after a few years being in use. People have also expressed doubts about the dangers posed
In the meantime NHAI’s four-laning work in Kundapur-Suratkal and Nanthoor-Talapadi is going on at rocket speed, much faster than it is expected. According to NHAI authorities nearly 35% of work on the 17-kms Nanthoor-Talapadi stretch is completed. Of the total 90 kms of stretch between Kundapur and Talapadi 25 kms of widening is already complete. It might be to the credit of NHAI if they are able to complete the work by March 2013, as envisaged.
NHAI has also undertaking another major work of widening the Kundapur-Goa border road via. Tenders are already invited for this project which is estimated to be to the tune of Rs. 1650 crores.
With these flyovers becoming operational one expects the congested roads of Mangalore will have some breather in the coming days. One can say a reward for braving the nightmare for all these years.
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