Bantwal: Second Mishap at Construction Site in 24 Hours Raises Safety Concerns
By Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network—Bantwal (RD/CN)
Bantwal, Aug 24: A crane (earthmover) engaged in the construction of a flyover beside the ongoing four-lane at B C Road here overturned while its operator was maneuvering it on the morning of Sunday August 23. This is the second mishap at this site.
In an earlier mishap that occurred here on the night of Saturday August 22, the steel structure collapsed while concrete ready-mix was being laid.
The crane overturned on Sunday when the operator was clearing the huge pieces of the collapsed steel structure. The traffic on the busy Mangalore–Bangalore National Highway (NH) 48 was not hindered as the accident occurred by the side of the highway.
The district administration had restricted heavy vehicular traffic in the area in an effort to facilitate easy commuting of pedestrians and motorists besides expediting the four-lane work. The people’s representatives were successful in revoking the ban by getting the district administration to lay a service road parallel to NH 48 providing access to Bantwal town, in the wake of the ongoing four-lane and flyover work.
Despite the service road being laid, very few motorists use them with a majority risking driving on the pothole-ridden stretch of the NH 48 instead.