JOIN USBumpy ride on Hunsur-Gonikoppa road
Travelling on an inter-state highway stretch from Hunsur to Gonikoppa brings jitters among motorists, as the heavily potholed road is prone to mishaps.
This road connects to Kannur and Thalassery in Kerala to Mysore. Hundreds of buses, lorries and private vehicles use it daily. Also, those travelling from Bangalore and Mysore use this road to reach Kodagu district.
Tyres punctures, breakdown of gears or levers and motorists asking for a lift and help from fellow motorists is quite common on this road. With heavy rains lashing the district, the condition of roads have only worsened.
Potholes
The surface of the road has been chipped off, causing inconvenience to road users. Most of the time, vehicles get stuck in deep potholes and struggle to come out.
Backache and body ache is a common complaint among people who ply on this road.
“One needs at least one hour and 30 minutes to cover a 35-km stretch,” complained a motorist.
Road users have been complaining that the people's representatives have turned a blind-eye towards the problem. A person sarcastically points out, the road in the forest is in such a pathetic condition that even elephants fear that they may fall into a pothole while crossing it.
Most of the people from Kerala travel to Mysore in night buses.
Bus services
However, many buses have stopped services, as the operators fear that the pathetic roads would damage their vehicles.
The ground breaking ceremony for repairing the stretch was held in January and the then Hunsur MLA Manjunath and Virajpet MLA K G Boppaiah had promised that the works will be completed in a span of three months.
Unfortunately, even after more than six moths now, the works have not yet begun. Even temporary patchworks have not been taken up since the past five months.