'NH works on priority basis'

Flyover at Kottara Chowki will be completed within three months

Addressing a news conference after holding review meeting here on Friday, he said that Kottara Chowki flyover works, which has been left undone for long time will be completed within 3 months.

He said since there were little complications at the end point of the flyover, minor revision has been done in the design. “The consultants judged that they might get a strong ground to base the ending point within 8 to 10 feet of excavation. But a recent soil test revealed that they may have to excavate about 40 feet. Hence, little changes were done in the plan,” he said.

He opined that land acquisition was the main reason for delay in the road works and said that shifting of utility lines for BC Road-Mangalore four-laning works will be taken up in the area within one week. Land acquisition had not been done in certain places for the project. This too will be completed and all the incomplete stretch of works on NH-14 will be completed.

Deputy Commissioner V Ponnuraj said that since the project plan prepared by NHAI is not efficient and accurate there is delay in land acquisition. Since they do not take up marking of the land area before hand, District Administration has to take land acquisition in bits and pieces. Now District Administration is answerable to people for the inconvenience caused as the Project Directors have no answers.

He said that in the district 24 acres of land was acquired for the four lane project and additional land acquisition of 4 acres was done only a month ago. He said that since utility lines were not identified or specified by the consultant lot of problems are being faced in Thumbe-Bantwal and Mangalore-Surathkal road works.

The DC said that in Mangalore-Surathkal road work, the KUDCEMP pipelines are on alignment with the proposed service road. Hence, the consultants are asking the district administration to create a separate utility corridor.

This required additional land acquisition. Hence, the district administration and consultants have not yet arrived at consensus over this issue.

He said that legal disputes are also causing problems in execution of works at Nanthoor, Surathkal and Kuntikana.

Asian Forest

He said that four representatives of Salvage company, Smith and Co had met the district administration on Friday to discuss over extraction of furnace oil from wrecked vessel ‘Asian Forest’.

The team had said that they will start the survey works on Saturday and complete the same within 5 days and submit a survey report to their company heads. They will submit a copy of the report to Deputy Commissioner as well.

The DC said that the salvage company should give its plan of action within one week to the district administration as per rules but though 4 months have passed nothing has been done by the salvage company.

The DC said that the same salvage company had pulled out the wreckage at Karwar in 18 days.