Mangalore: Total Vehicular Ban Observed on NH 48
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SR/VA)
Pics: Spoorthy Ullal, Mounesh Vishwakarma

Mangalore June 20: As per the instructions of DK district deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj movement of vehicles were completely restricted on National Highway 48 on Sunday June 20 inorder to drain off slush that has been causing inconvenience to the pedestrians.

Only emergency services like ambulance, fire-service vehicles and the vehicles attending the wedding were allowed to travel on the highway.

The pedestrains had expressed their anguish over the ankle-lenghth slush and  other such frequent problems faced on the highway. The district commissioner who had visited the area had decided to hold a highway bundh from Sunday 8.00 am to Monday 8.00 am.

Meanwhile, the movement of ore-laden heavy vehicles have been banned from traveling on National Highway 17 and 48 from Sunday June 20 to November 15.

The police officials in the Pumpwell road circle were instructed to divert the loaded trucks and heavy vehicles towards Ullal.  The city-based vehicles from Uppinangady, Puttur and Bantwal areas were asked to take a diversion at Melkar Junction and proceed on Konaje- Tokkottu stretch to reach the city.

A silent atmosphere prevailed in the otherwise busy highway.  There were hardly any private vehicles and people were rushing to travel in whatever vehicles they could find to reach their destinations. The heavy trucks were parked on the on the side of the highway.

"With the view to fecilitate smooth movement of vehicular traffic, we have decided to drain off the slush and undertake repair works on the stretch",  said Ponnuraj on Friday.

The repair works which was going on a snail's pace from past three years has suddenly speedend up with just one instrutcion from the DC which has indeed surprised the people of city.