Belur road may choke due to closure of Shiradi Ghat

Works to continue till May 31

The residents of the town are worried as the traffic density will increase on the Main Road from Friday, due to the closure of the Shiradi Ghat and diversion of traffic via Belur that connects Charmadi Ghat.

The Shiradi Ghat will be closed till May 31, as per the initial plans for development, and Charmadi Ghat is one of the three alternative routes provided for vehicular traffic between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. According to a survey of vehicles, conducted by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), during the year 2013-14, 30,000 vehicles ply on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway everyday. KSRTC buses, four-wheelers and other light motor vehicles (LMV) have been diverted via Charmadi Ghat. NHAI has stated that 30 per cent of the traffic will be diverted in this route. So, the Main Road in the town will have to handle an additional of at least 10,000 vehicles per day.

There is only one Main Road in the historical town and it is narrow. If the road is flooded with vehicles, local road users will be left with no space, and it will become difficult to cross the road for both local vehicles and pedestrians.

Being a tourist attraction of international fame, the density of vehicular traffic in the town is already high. If an additional 10,000 vehicles pass through the town, the road will choke. “Despite so many problems related to the decision for diversion, neither the NHAI nor the district administration have taken any steps to ease the traffic,” complained a resident.

The long-pending demand of the residents for filling potholes and for widening of the road has been neglected by both the people’s representatives and officials. As a stop-gap-arrangement, the Police department should depute additional personnel in the town to regulate the traffic, he said.