Protesters want faster work on NH

Members of the Rashtriya Heddari Horata Samiti staged a protest near the Hejamady toll gate on Thursday, demanding a speedy completion of the pending works on the NH 66.

The protest which began at 8 am continued till noon. The activists shouted slogans against the Navayug company with a series of demands.

The protesters asked for not just speedy completion of pending works on the Kundapur – Talapady stretch, but also construction of serviced roads on both sides of the national highway, identification of accident zones, underpasses or flyovers near education institutions, religious places, pedestrian paths at toll plazas, bus shelters, street lights and drainage facilities, a skywalk near Shivanagara a two-way bridges across rivers.

They claimed that the toll gate at Surathkal was illegal as its construction had violated the rule of a minimum of 60-km distance between two rolls. The distance between Hejamady and Surathkal toll gates is just 8 km.

Mangaluru MP Nalin Kumar Kateel said that Union Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari has promised waiver of toll for vehicles with registration numbers KA 19 and KA 20 on NH 66.

The MP quoted Union Minister while interacting with committee President Dr Deviprasad Shetty, over the phone. He also said a meeting will be held with the National Highway Authority, the Navayug company, the elected representatives and the activists in Bengaluru on September 24.

Forest minister R Shankar, who is on a visit to Udupi, met the protesters and promised to discuss the issue with the chief minister.

A memorandum was submitted to Kaup Tahsildar Gurusiddaiah Hiremath.

Elected representatives from different political parties, bus, car, tempo union members and activists from different forums took part in the protest.

Dr Deviprasad Shetty, Rashtriya Heddari Horata Samiti president; Gulam Muhammed, vice president, and Shekhar Hejamady, convener, were also present.