Mangalore: Journey via Shirady Ghat Road - a Veritable Nightmare
by Richie Lasrado
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MB)
Pics: T S Thomas
Mangalore, Oct 6: Those commuting regularly between Mangalore and Bangalore by road are well aware of the agony. The Shirady ghat stretch of the highway (part of NH 48) linking Mangalore and Hassan, onward to Bangalore, is in a pathetic state.
The official sources say that tenders for repair works were called more than twice. Contractors hesitate to take up the job, proffering the reason that no workers are willing to work in that God-forsaken place, where getting a cup of tea even involves covering some kilometres of walk or transport.
What is the way out then, in this 'end-of-the-road' situation? People residing in Nellyadi, Gundya and Shirady areas complain that it is because of the transport of iron ore, in most cases in trucks overladen beyond limits, that the roads have turned into such a dilapidated state. It would be silly to ask if it cannot be stopped. Most of the trucks are believed to be owned by powerful politicians from this district and elsewhere.
Things were worsened by a round of off-season heavy rainfall that hit in September this year. (The Met sources fear that the showers could continue up to December this year. It is another matter if, this late monsoon notwithstanding, the people of the district would still face water crisis the coming summer.)
In some parts of the Shirady ghat road, the bitumen surface of the road is totally missing. The slush is quite reminiscent of Kambala (buffalo-race) track.
When negotiating the curves and bad roads, the vehicles are getting damaged. The high-end luxury buses like Volvo, which have less clearance under the chassis, have totally stopped plying on this road. Volvo buses between Mangalore and Bangalore are now bypassing Shiradi ghat and hitting the Puttur-Sullia-Sampaje-Madikeri-Kushalnagar-Mysore-Mandya route, involving an additional distance of 50-60 kilometres. With the additional wear and tear, this road too (Mani-Mysore state highway) has suffered heavy damage now. Regular travellers say that right up to Piriyapatna on the way to Mysore the road is in a bad shape.
With the damages suffered by the KSRTC buses on their bodies, cranks, windshields etc., its management is already thinking in terms of withdrawing the Volvo buses from the Shirady route. Our elected representatives, who always travel by these luxury buses, would be least bothered. They always have the flying option. (Who foots the airfare during their frequent trips is a question the public should shoot.)
Daijiworld's regular reader, photographer and journalist T S Thomas had the agonizing experience two days ago of travelling from Bangalore to Mangalore via Shirady. The bus scheduled to reach Mangalore at 6 am finally arrived at 1 pm. The only comforting thought was he could photograph some graphic moments of the journey and some eye-catching views.
With no signs of Mangalore-Bangalore train being resumed in the near future and with the Sampaje-Madikeri ghat road on the verge of doing a Shirady, what option is left for the regular, less privileged commuters between Mangalore-Bangalore?
Our thick-skinned ministers, MLAs and MLCs get handy issues like bridges elsewhere or the issue of power transfer in the state to divert the attention of the people and keep them engrossed in thought, as the issues have successfully done during the past two months.
Who knows, they may even say, without any fear of getting guillotined, in the style of Marie Antoinette from the French Revolution era, "If they can't travel by road, let them fly !".
Well, airline companies, get set for some additional flights !
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