Daijiworld Media Network - Hassan (SP)

Hassan, Jan 20: The joint inspection of road works being undertaken on Shiradi Ghat on Thursday January 20 with a team of people's representatives and officials has been temporarily postponed. The inspection had been planned to take a decision to close down vehicular traffic on Shiradi Ghat road to facilitate four lane widening work.

The contractors to whom the road widening work between Sakleshpur and Marnahalli has been entrusted, had sought closure of Shiradi Ghat section of national highway 75 for a period of six months to undertake work. However, the people for whom this road is very important, had expressed their resentment as they had suffered a lot during the previous occasions on which the road was closed. District in-charge minister Gopalaiah, MP Prajwal Revanna, MLA H K Kumaraswamy, Hassan deputy commissioner Girish and some other officials and people's representatives had decided to undertake the inspection.

However, union minister for surface transport, Nitin Gadkari, has convened a meeting of the project director of this project and other high level officials on this issue. Therefore, the programme was postponed, it is learnt.

MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, noted that a decision cannot be taken all of a sudden on the proposal of the National Highways Authority of India to ban traffic on this sector. He has already asked the district administration to take a suitable decision only after Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner personally visits the place and reviews the situation.