Work on retaining wall on drain poses danger to people

The work on the retaining wall across a drain that flows beside Race Course Road in Madikeri town is posing a threat to riders.

Without taking any safety measures, the City Municipal Council took up the work of construction of the retaining wall. Soil is dumped on both sides of the drain during the work.

“Silt from the drain has been removed and dumped beside the drain. The soil is caving in day by day. There is also the possibility of vehicle riders being washed away in the drain prior to the completion of the work and the wall being constructed,” said a resident.

No signboard

The City Municipal Council is undertaking the work without placing any warning signboard that work is in progress. The Municipality is engaged in removing soil from hills that had remained steady during the landslides in August to facilitate the construction. As a result, however, four houses situated on Race Course Road are facing threat.

Resident Chandru said that if the work on the retaining wall is not completed, then houses will face threat during monsoon.

Also, as the Field Marshall Cariappa College and the SAI hockey stadium are along the road, students have appealed to the City Municipal Council to complete work at the earliest.

The work is inconveniencing pedestrians using the stretch too, they insisted.

Pramod, a resident of Race Course Road, said that signboards that work is in progress should be installed at the site. The pothole-infested road should be repaired and a police personnel should be deployed near a curve on the road, he demanded.

Drain stagnant

With the work on the wall going on, water from the drain has become stagnant, said dairy farm resident Purushottam.

The City Municipal Council has not taken up the work of cleaning the drains even after the rains. The incomplete work on the wall is also inconveniencing tourists who visit Madikeri and has increased traffic congestion.