Mangaluru Cong protests delay in highway works

Congress party workers from Mangaluru City south and north blocks staged a protest against the inordinate delay in completing the national highway-66 (NH-66) widening work. This project includes the construction of Pumpwell and Thokkottu junction flyovers.

However, the protest held on Wednesday did not affect traffic flow on the national highway.

Addressing protesters, former MLA J R Lobo said that it was over eight years since the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) took up the work of constructing the Pumpwell and Thokkottu flyovers. These projects are parts of the NH-66 four-laning from Talapady to Nanthoor Junction.

Despite several meetings with NHAI, no progress was evident. The inordinate delay was inconveniencing people, he added. He accused MP Nalin Kumar Kateel of failing to tell contractors and NHAI to expedite the work.

The Bikarnakatte service road built as a part of NH-66 four-laning from Surathkal to B C Road was narrow and unscientific. No efforts had been made to resolve the traffic woes at Nantoor Junction and KPT Circle, he said.

MLC Ivan D’Souza said that NH-66 was ridden with potholes. Though grants were sanctioned, the widening of NH-169 from Kulshekar to Karkala had not been completed.

Despite the state government's Rs 38 crore proposal to construct a new Gurpura bridge, the Centre had failed to sanction the matching grant. D’Souza alleged that the NHAI's NH-66 work was substandard and the government must order a probe into this.