The region receives about 300 inch of rainfall and the local residents say that over the last 40 years they have seen roads developing potholes but never had they witnessed the land opening up and forming huge trench of this form.
The trench is about 30 feet deep and this place has almost become like a tourist destination with people coming to the spot in large number to view the ‘heights of administrative negligence and apathy’.
Fascinatingly a huge tree has been washed to about 100 feet from its location along the trench, in which water is now flowing like a stream.
The local residents who are rather shocked by the way the road has been damaged are on a quest of finding the reason behind such a mishap.
They say that last year a private telephone service provider had dug out trenches to lay cables.
When the issue was brought to the notice of PWD Executive Engineer, no action was taken to ascertain safety of the road and instead the company was allowed to lay its cable conveniently.
The locals allege that it is due to the carelessness of the PWD officials that the road has collapsed. District Private Bus Owners’ Association President K K Balakrishna Bhat says that PWD must own up the responsibility of the mishap.
An employee of KIOCL said that as long as KIOCL was functioning it used to pay attention towards the safety and well being of the road.
He said that the stream which should have flown under the road had been flowing on the road for the last two years, yet PWD remained blind to this. BJP Leader M A Sheshadri said that connection between Kalasa hobli and coastal Karnataka is essential and inevitable. In such a situation collapsing of the road is unfortunately.
However PWD Engineer Chennaiah said that pipes and sand bags will be laid within a week so that road is kept open for commuters.
Residents of the region feel that the incidentcannot be neglected as it is hinting at a larger, serious issue of administrative lacunae, which need to be addressed.
