Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Dec 25: There have been numerous complaints about the inconvenience caused to the general public by the senseless digging of roads in Kaikamba at B C Road and bypass region of the town for widening of the national highway. At the meeting of officials held on Saturday December 24 at the office of the district deputy commissioner, district in-charge minister, B Ramanath Rai, strongly expressed his displeasure at the above state of affairs, and ordered the highway department officials to immediately ensure that the dug up stretches are repaired and made available for public use.

Deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, Dr Jagadeesh, assistant commissioner, Renuka Prasad, tahsildar from here, Purandar Hegde, chief officer of municipality, Sudhakar, and highway department officials were present at the meeting. Jagadeesh, who already had held two meetings relating to widening of road parking, bus bay construction etc in the town and B C Road, held third meeting in his office. People have been complaining that decisions taken at the meetings are not being implemented fully because of lack of coordination between the highway department and other departments.

At the said meeting, Rai directed officials agains beginning work on widening of roads in the town and also internal roads. It is gathered that before taking up the work, he wants the officials to take the local businessmen into confidence, and hold discussions with them. In the case of road widening work already taken up at Kaikamba and bypass road, he asked the officials to complete the work on war footing.

"Because road have been destroyed at these stretches, I am made to face lot of questions and criticism. Therefore, these roads should be completed immediately," he said. Taking cue from the minister's directions, Mangaluru assistant commissioner, Renuka Prasad, and officials of national highways authority of India (NHAI) rushed to the town immediately after the meeting and checked the ongoing road works. NHAI officials, Abdul Rahiman, Ramesh, Keshavamurthy and Umesh Bhat from PWD office in the town were present during this scrutiny and provided information as sought by the assistant commissioner.

People had staged protest last week as the dug out road at Kaikamba remained in that state for over a month, creating problems for road users.