JOIN USMLA, DC express ire over unfinished road project
MLA K P Bachegowda, Deputy Commissioner Anwar Pasha, President of the City Municipal Council M Prakash, member of the Zilla Panchayat G R Narayanswamy and several others, who inspected the construction project here on Wednesday, expressed their ire on the contractors and the national highway project officer.
The MLA, deputy commissioner and other elected representatives had arrived to inaugurate the road construction project of providing connectivity to Chikballapur City from the bypass road of the National Highway 7. After the inauguration, when the team inspected the construction of the services roads, they were angered by the slow pace of the project.
Generous contribution
The farmers had generously handed over their land for the entire project for a mere Rs 20 lakh, which apparently is valued at Rs one crore at present. All that the farmers required was the construction of service roads, to reach their respective fields, on either side of the quadrilateral roads. And even this was not properly implemented, they lamented.
Several farmers have lost their agricultural land. They were unable to use their carts and tractors. The contractors were also earlier instructed to complete the work as early as possible. But the instructions had fallen on deaf ears. Infact, the project was being implemented according to the whims and fancies of the contractors, the leaders expressed their anger.
Elevated level
They said, the road construction was done at an elevated level. This had spoilt the beauty of the City and moreover, it was not solving the purpose for which it had been constructed. There was no need for the road to be located at an elevated platform, the expressed.
There was also no need to construct underpasses at most of the places. This could have been avoided and lots of money could have been saved. There was also a delay in the construction of service road from Beedigaanahalli village of Chikballapur taluk to the deputy commissioner’s office. The entire stretch is full of potholes and craters, making it difficult for the deputy commissioner to travel, the leaders
alleged.
‘Focus on underpass’
The contractors were told to immediately stop the construction of the highway project and begin the service road project and also, they were told to focus on the construction of underpass to the road leading to Manchanabale village. Otherwise, the contractors would become victims of farmers’ and public ire, the contractors were warned.
Until and unless the services roads were completed, the leaders will not be attending the pooja ceremony of the Chikballapur road construction project, the elected leaders informed and departed from the scene, without participating in the event.
Later on, the contractors tried to convince the MLA and the deputy commissioner and the pooja ceremony was conducted.