Govind D Belgaumkar/The Hindu 

• Mangalore division of KSRTC was losing Rs 20 lac a month because of the delay
• Additional loss of Rs. 1.5 crore expected if road is not ready in six months
• Miles to go: Concrete work in progress at one of the 13 critical curves at Shiradi Ghat.

Mangalore, Jan 30: A team from the Mangalore division of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which had gone to check the progress of the Shiradi Ghat, has returned disappointed.

A four-member team visited the ghat, which connects many southern districts to the port city, hoping that the district authorities would keep their promise of allowing buses to ply the route by February.

A top official of the division told The Hindu, “Going by the pace of work, they will take at least six more months to complete the work. They had assured us that at least one side of the road would be ready by February.”

The official said the division had been bearing an additional burden of nearly Rs. 20 lac to Rs 25 lac a month because of the closure of the ghat for heavy vehicles.

The burden up to December-end was Rs 1.21 crore. If the ghat remains closed for another six months, the KSRTC division fears an additional burden of nearly Rs 1.5 crore.

The official pointed out that more than 450 KSRTC buses which were using the route through the ghats were now taking a circuitous route (Sampaje Ghat) and covering an additional distance of 30 km.

The bad condition of the Sampaje Ghat (a route which connects Mangalore to Mysore, Kodagu and other southern districts) was also a cause for concern. Buses, including Airavata (Volvo) services, were suffering damages.

The manufacturers of Volvo buses had advised the KSRTC not to run Airavata services as they were not made for this kind of road. The official said the KSRTC could not afford to stop plying Volvo buses. “We have invested crores of rupees on Volvo buses, how can we stop the services?” the official asked.

Repairing potholes

The Public Works Department could at least fill up the potholes in the Sampje Ghat, he said. The official said this had been brought to the notice of the top officials of the Transport Department time and again. The matter is believed to have been communicated to the PWD at the highest level.

The additional burden for the division comes at a time when it is suffering a loss of revenue because of introduction of the train services between Mangalore and Bangalore.

The revenue dent is between Rs 1 lac to Rs. 2 lac a day, the official said. “Our infrastructure has remained almost the same, but revenue has come down,” the official said.