NHAI officials taken to task for shoddy work around city

NHAI officials taken to task for shoddy work around city

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, March 17, 2016 : Legislators and Ministers at a Karnataka Development Programme review meeting, took the NHAI project office of the National Highways Authority of India,  to task for its insensitive approach towards people’s problems following delayed execution of projects. When district in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai asked where the project director of Mangaluru region was, an NHAI official said he had gone for a meeting to New Delhi. MLA J.R. Lobo and MLC Ivan D’Souza alleged that the project officer never attended KDP meetings.

Minister U.T. Khader took the authority to task for the never-ending four-laning work of NH 66 between Talapady and Pumpwell in the city. “You complete the tollgate work at Talapady working day and night. Deploying  just two to four people to complete the flyover at Thokkottu Junction is negligence. You do not even have the courtesy to put signboards about the ongoing work thereby endangering lives of the public,” Minister Khader said.

Minister Khader also criticised the authority for the slow pace of four-laning work of NH 66 between Jeppinamogaru and Pumpwell Circle in the city.  He said thousands of road users and the people were put to great hardship because of the slow pace of work. 

On the other hand, Minister  Rai asked how long the authority would take to lay service roads on NH 75 near B.C. Road. “You will not hesitate to collect a hefty toll; but fail to provide required facility,” he said.

Similarly the NHAI came under attack for incomplete service roads near Surathkal, though it has been collecting hefty toll at NITK toll booth on NH 66. 

The National Highways Division of Karnataka Public Works Department (PWD) informed a Karnataka Development Programme review meeting that the reconstruction work on the remaining 13 km stretch of Shiradi Ghat with concrete was unlikely to start immediately.

An engineer of the department said that the contractor was yet to collect the required material to undertake the work and hence it was likely that the work would start only after the monsoon. At the same time, attempts were being made to explore whether it was possible to complete the work in April through round-the-clock deployment of personnel, he added.