Widening of NH 169: Residents to start Twitter campaign

People who are likely to lose their land due to the widening of NH 169 from Kulashekar to Moodbidri have launched a tweet campaign to highlight the discrepancies in the alignment of road.

Residents of 17 villages in Mangaluru and Moodbidri taluks, led by Bhoomalikarugala Horata Samithi, held a meeting at Sacred Heart English Medium School in Kulashekhar on Sunday and decided to launch the campaign on Twitter in order to reach out to Prime Minister’s Office.

Samiti President Mariamma Thomas said NHAI had issued a gazette notification under National Highway Act Section 3 (1) A on October 26, 2018 to acquire land for the road. Under the Act, the final notification should have been issued on October 25, 2019. But the authorities had failed to issue notification within the stipulated time.

“The present notification stands null and void,” she said and urged NHAI to conduct a fresh survey. The highway alignment was carried out to benefit the rich and the influential. “We should tweet to prime minister mentioning about the discrimination being shown while preparing the alignment for widening of national highway.”

A memorandum should also be submitted to deputy commissioner and project office of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), she said.

Samiti Convener Prakash Chandra said objections filed by the residents were ignored. “Schools, temples, churches and many prominent structures face the threat of demolition,” he said. Villages that will be affected in Mangaluru taluk are Addoor, Bagadulipadi, Badagaedapadavu, Kandavara, Muluru, Padavu, Thenkulipadi, Thenkaedapadavu, Thiruvail and Badagamijar, Beluvai, Marpady, Padumarnadu, Puthige, Thenkamijar and Thodar in Moodbidri taluk.