Mangalore: Is South Kanara Losing Privilege of comfortable Journey?
by Gladson D`Almeida (GA)
Concept & Pics: Melwyn Pernal
Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, August 3: In the olden days people used to travel by walk even to distant places. But as the years rolled on and technology advanced, men found ways to cover lands at a quicker pace with the help of vehicles. Today people are heavily depended on vehicles, either personal or public transport, to travel. Except in some rare cases, especially in the rural and interior places where there are no proper roads one would not find vehicles.
Vehicles have become part and parcel of one's life. Shooting prices of ticket and fuel have not affected the boom in vehicle industry. Travelling by vehicles usually makes one's journey easy and speedy.
But the people of Dakshina Kannada are gradually losing the privilege of comfortable journey these days. Thanks to pathetic state of roads, perhaps the commuters are losing interest even to drive/ride vehicles. While the heavy rains in the undivided district of Dakshina Kannada have as usual caused havoc, one more aspect has played a major role in spoiling the National Highway 17.
Yes! The continuous plying of ore-laden lorries on National Highway 17 has resulted in several fatal accidents. But more than that the over-loaded ore-laden lorries have damaged the National Highway as never before.
National Highway 17 connecting Panvel and Ponnani via Mangalore and Panaji has always been regarded as one of the best roads to travel with scenic beauty and picturesque coastal area on either side. But owing the plying of these ore-lades trucks, the highway has almost turned into muddy field. While earlier there were complaints about potholes on the road, now it has become difficult even find bitumen that is laid on the surface.
Owing to this bad state of National Highway commuters have been facing ample problems. While traffic jams have become order of the day, fatal accidents have been the gift of ore-laden lorries to the residents of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.
Though there have been several protest rallies, meetings organized to stop the plying of ore-laden lorries through the district, the lack of will power by the concerned departments and elected representatives to stop this menace has been the biggest worry to all. It is not a secret thing that a few political leaders have their own lorries playing on road carrying manganese ore to Mangalore port from Bellary and other mining stations.
Though the Udupi district administration has now banned the entry of ore-laden lorries to the district, Dakshina Kannada is still a free zone for them. Despite the action taken by the Udupi district administration following orders by in-charge minister Dr V S Acharya, it seems that truck lobby is slowly gathering momentum to put pressure on the administration to cancel the ban. The lorry owners and drivers have threatened to stage road block if they are banned from entering the district.
For the time being ore-laden lorries are stopped at Shiroor. More than 1,500 lorries are held at Shiroor.
One cannot point a finger on a particular person or party for this menace of manganese ore lorries. Even the public have to accept it that we have failed to protest in unison or rather we have acted as if we are not bothered about it at all. If there was strong protest right in the beginning, things would not have gone out of control. Now it is futile to blame a single person or party. We all lack will power to do anything. Most of us are good speakers only at home, in schools or in worship places. We are happy as long as nothing disturbs us personally. If a neighbour is suffering then that does not bother us since we are safe.
This individualist attitude has cost us dearly over the years. Unless we wake up from our slumber, nothing good will happen. People are travelling through this route by holding kerchief on their nose and also lock on the tongue and their hands...! The whole atmosphere is full of dust. A healthy person can’t breathe once they pass through this way. Yet we are sitting pretty happy in our own houses and blaming everyone else than ourselves.
Special Features on MANGALORE Roads - by Richie Lasrado
Manganese Ore-laden Trucks - A Curse to Coastal Districts?