Caution! Newly Opened Shiradi Ghat Still NOT SAFE for Motorists
Mangaluru: In order to experience the FIRST drive on the newly opened Shiradi Ghat stretch, four of us namely Ajith, Naresh, Loy D’souza and Yours Truly took a fun drive from Mangaluru to Hassan, and while coming back since we all wanted to savour some authentic and traditional Coorgy style Pandhi Curry {Pork Curry } at Coorg Cuisine-Madikeri, we came via Madikeri to reach back to Kudla. The road back from Hassan via Arkalagudu via Madikeri-Sampagi Ghat-Mangaluru was horrible, with huge craters/potholes, including hundreds of speed breakers/humps. Just imagine the buses taking this route to reach Bengaluru and back to Mangaluru on this route filled with potholes- it’s just a nightmare-this alternate takes extra two hours, since the newly opened Shiradi Ghat is once again closed, for heavy vehicles.
After the Shiradi Ghat was opened on 15 July, the movement of heavy vehicles on this Ghat stretch on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway 75, has been now shut for the next few days, since the shoulder work and guard wall work has to be completed. The ban is applicable to all heavy commercial vehicles, two-axle trucks, multi-axle trucks, truck trailers, bullet tankers, ship cargo containers, government and private buses. The ban will remain in force till the work is completed fully, and until further notice from DC. This order was given by Deputy Commissioner of DK Sasikanth Senthil. But luckily Light motor vehicles such as cars and vans and two-wheelers are allowed to use this Ghat road. It was indeed a pleasant ride on this new Shiradi Ghat stretch, way much better than it was few months ago, filled with potholes etc.
Ending the six-month ordeal of motorists who had to take circuitous routes to commute between the coast and the hinterlands, and even though the 13 km stretch Shiradi Ghat, at a cost of Rs 74 crore was opened for traffic on Sunday 15 July afternoon after MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Ministers H.D. Revanna and U.T. Khader; and former minister Ramanath Rai and others inaugurated the concreted remaining portion of the Ghat, but sadly drivers behind the steering of heavy vehicles are not fortunate to enjoy the comfort of this Ghat stretch, due to the ban on heavy vehicles.
Of the 37 km of the ghat stretch, 26 km was proposed for concreting in 2014 and the stretch between Heggadde and Kempu Hole Guest House in Hassan district was concreted between January-August 2015. Concreting of the remaining 13 km started on January 15 this year, from when traffic was banned through Shiradi Ghat. Vehicles had to mainly depend upon Sampaje (very heavy vehicles) and Charmadi (other vehicles) Ghats for the journey. Though the contractor – M/s Ocean Constructions India Pvt Ltd, Kodialbail-Mangaluru– technically had 18 months to complete the work as per the contract, it obliged the government and people by completing the work in six months. Yet, some ancillary safety works are pending, which will be completed in a fortnight. Incidentally, the same contractor had executed the first package.
Now that the Ghat is concreted, light vehicles are seen speeding over the restricted vehicular speed of 60 kmph on the stretch, in spite of presence of police with interceptors at vantage positions to book violators. Even minister H.D. Revanna had urged motorists to exercise caution since it was a newly-laid road. Since the newly concreted is few inches above from the shoulder, if any vehicle lands into the shoulder will get stuck in the muddy soft soil. This is one reason that heavy vehicles including buses are banned at the moment on this stretch. And also at few places there has been landslides and trees uprooted blocking side portion of the road. Until all these problems are rectified only then the Ghat will be allowed to use by all motorists.
A supervisor with Ms Ocean Constructions speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” Due to the pressure from the government and others we were forced to open this Ghat stretch for inauguration. But there are a few safety hazard issues which need to be fixed, like work has to be completed on shoulder and guard walls on the entire stretch. We have been working round the clock to complete the work soon, but heavy rains now and then is slowing down our work. And also even in spite of heavy vehicles being banned on this stretch of the road, we still see many heavy vehicles plying which is a safety hazard, and also creates nuisance to our laborers when they are at work. Police need to take action on this matter”.
On the other hand the hoteliers and shopkeepers along National Highway 75 near Sakleshpur, who have not enjoyed good business in the past six months, heaved a sigh of relief as the Shiradi Ghat stretch was reopened to traffic on Sunday. In the past three years, the business community has gone through difficult times twice as the road was closed to take up roadwork in two phases. Many hotels located on either side of the highway were closed for the past six months. They had no business between January and August in 2015 as well when the first phase of the roadwork was under way. As the hotels pulled down the shutters, hundreds of people were out of work for several months. Some hoteliers used this period to take up renovation. A shop owner speaking to us when we stopped for a tea break said, ” I renovated my establishment to accommodate more customers during the last few months. A good number of travelers take a break here to have snacks. We have been serving travelers for the past 40 years. Yes, it was a tough time when the road was closed. Now, we hope to do well, once again”.
So until this stretch of Shiradi Ghat is completely done, motorists and commuters have to bear the brunt again traveling a few extra distance to reach their destinations. Hope the workers will speed up their work, and let this Ghat open for all, light vehicles and also heavy vehicles.
Heavy Rains on Ghat Section has slow down the Yettinahole Project
Even though the work on the Yettinahole project is going on a full swing, with mega excavators digging soil to make way for huge pipe lines, and also work on the dam is almost nearing complete, but the rains have slowed down the work a little bit. The water pipe lines are being laid and there has been heavy movement of trucks passing by hauling mud or other equipment. Due to heavy rains, soil covering these water pipes have loosened, exposing the water pipes-other than that work on Yettinahole project is going on smoothly, according to a site manager on the Ghat Section of this project.
Ever since this Yettinahole project took birth, it has been on pro and con situation, with activists and environmentalists opposing the project with their concerns an issues, while on the other hand there have been seminars/talks by researchers/ scientists who have talked in favor of the project. Already few crores has been spent on the work done so far and the work still continues, and there is no point in stopping this project now. It would be a sheer waste of citizens tax money if the project is stopped.