Residents protest against apathy towards road

The residents of Bejai New Road, seventh cross, conducted a protest against the bad condition of the road, on Sunday and urged the City Corporation to repair the road.

The seventh cross of Bejai New Road lies in the border of Mangaluru South and North Assembly constituencies. The road connects to NH 66 near Karnataka Polytechnic. There are 150 households in the area.

Prem Salian, local resident, engineer and Association of Consultant Engineers vice president, said that Rs 32 lakh was sanctioned by the MCC under the SFC funds, for the road works on Bejai New Road Seventh Cross, falling in the limits of 31 Bejai ward. Tender has also been availed by a contractor for the same. A separate fund of Rs 10 lakh is sanctioned for work on the stormwater drains. The work, however, has not been taken up, he said.

Addressing the protestors, Kathyayani Seetharam, local resident and BJP City South Committee vice president, said that the condition of vehicle riders and pedestrians turns from bad to worse during the rainy season. The road is submerged and the stormwater enters houses in the lower areas during heavy rains as there are no proper drains. Autorickshaw drivers refuse to come to the area as the roads are bad. Schoolchildren and senior citizens are badly effected, she said and added that the corporator should initiate measures to repair the road.

A local resident said that the road has not been repaired for many years, merely patch-up work was done three years back. A resident of Anegundi area near Bejai New Road, filed a complaint with the Lokayukta, alleging misappropriation of funds in the above mentioned road work and an investigation is being done by Lokayukta.