Mangaluru: Arya Samaj Road in Shambles! Tax Payers Money Poured Down the Drain

“Major roads in city will get footpaths and drainage system in three months time. Special meeting to discuss the blue print of the work will be called soon and the matters related to the major works like drainage and footpath will be discussed. Work worth Rs 24.64 crore for 10 footpaths and drainage has been approved by the government. Second instalment of Rs 100 crore has also been sanctioned” – DC AB Ibrahim

Mangaluru: After Deputy Commissioner AB Ibrahim made the above statements and directed the concerned authorities to take up the work quickly and finish the 10 footpaths and drainage work, there has been chaos and inconveniences caused to motorists where couple of streets in the city have been dug to lay footpath and drainage-two of the roads are Arya Samaj Road and Kadri-Kambla Road.

One should very well know that whichever road work that Mangalore City Corporation takes up is either incomplete or the work has to be re-done. They construct brand new roads without footpaths, and later when complaints pour in to build footpaths/drainage, the brand new roads are damaged and left in pathetic condition causing hassles for motorists. Just look at the present condition of Arya Samaj Road- just few months back the whole stretch of this road was done with interlock bricks, and few months later the same road has been dug at various places to construct footpath/drainage.

A resident of Arya Samaj Road, Sunil RJ Gonsalves who was upset at the present condition of ASR had emailed this statement to mangalorean.com stating, “After spending lakhs on Interlocking the road at Arya Samaj Road, now works are being undertaken to develop the footpath. For this the granite slabs have been removed and concrete slabs are being procured. Any idea what is the cost of granite and whether the contractor has paid the cost of the old granite slabs. Due to this work the interlock bricks are already damaged. Are these going to be fixed ? Only time will tell.” I fully agree and support Sunil’s statement.

If you drive or ride on this road you will notice how the tax payers money has been poured down the drain on restructuring this road. Already at many places the interlocks have gone down or come out leaving pot holes-indeed a poor work done by the contractor! Now that a new contractor has taken up the drainage/footpath on this road, its a mess all over, and motorists are finding a hard time to navigate. Traffic congestion is seen all the time, since the concrete blocks have been spread out along the side of the road, taking most of the road space. What a dumb idea to make concrete concrete blocks on a busy road?

Due to heavy machinery, like JCB earth-movers used for digging purposes, at many spots the interlocks have sunk down or completely broken. Sand, jelly stones and other materials have been stored on the side of this road, taking almost half the road space which has resulted in traffic jam during peak hours. But does anyone cares, including MCC officials- absolutely no one! Which means that people must grit their teeth for a little while longer before Arya Samaj Road is repaired. Too sad to look at the pathetic condition of this road which was once wore a brand new look few months ago. Hard earned money of the tax payers wasted big time by our elected officials.

Nightmare for motorists on Kadri-Kambla Road:

If you are in a hurry to catch your flight at Mangalore International Airport, and planning to take the Kadri-Kambla Road, please avoid it for the timing-because major portion of this road stretch has been dug to build footpath/drainage – and the mud has been piled up on the road causing headaches for motorists to travel through. Why can’t the contractor haul the mud away as soon as it is dugged up, instead of piling it up on the road, thereby creating nuisance to traffic and pedestrians.

Just a few months ago this road was broadened and restructured, now once again its back again to square one-completely dugged up. What a mess? Only wish these contractors use some common sense when they take up road work, not to put motorists and pedestrians in hardship.

Dug Up Roads Not Fixed Properly after Completion of Work :

When there is a pit dug right in the middle of a road, life gets a little difficult for commuters. But what if the pit is not filled properly after the work is completed? At such times, it will be hazardous for the motorists. The problem is that no one seems interested in flattening the road. Although months have passed since the digging, the MCC/PWD claims ignorance about the matter-for example at Karangalpady. And once again, Sunil Gonsalves who takes this road daily to his office has emailed to Mangalorean.com about ignorance of officials in not fixing the road-he writes, “Broken Concrete Slab covering a Underground drain opposite PAVI Wines / Prabhu Bakery at karangalpady – The 4th Slab covering the concealed drain across the concrete road, on the Pavi Wines Side is broken. Some good Samaritans have filled in this gaping hole with stones, mud etc. its only a matter of time when the stones and mud will get washed away, causing the hole to swallow a two wheeler. Three telephonic complaints filed till date with local corporator have gone in vain”

“Also sunken Road near medicare medicals opposite leo Consumer products showroom-Karangalpady – the Manhole seems to have collapsed and taken along with it the walls of the concealed drain across the road. Due to this the road has sunken by about 7 inches at the centre and about 10 inches near the Manhole. A moderately fast 40KMH speeding two wheeler is bound to lose control and fly into parked vehicles very soon, if no repair works are undertaken. Complaint given to corporator over phone, but No action taken” tells Gonsalves.

Speaking to mangalorean.com Sunil said that when he had approached one of the MCC officials about this matter, the official told him that he ( Sunil )was the only one who had complained about these two danger spots on Karangalpady road stretch. Okay, Mr MCC man, no matter, if one person or many persons complain about a hazardous situation, it’s your job to see that its rectified, and not to give silly excuses. Why do you need more complaints from more people? Too many cooks will spoil the broth! All it takes is “one complaint” from “one person” to fix “one/two problems”, which look hazardous to human lives.

We all know that Mangaloreans are quite reluctant in lodging complaints-that’s a reason we have so many civic problems that are not rectified, until it leads to a serious issue, like a serious injury or death. Wake up folks, complain to the concerned authorities if you notice something hazardous to human life. If Sunil Gonsalves can do it, you too can? Let’s all join hands and to make Mangaluru a safer place to move around and live safely. Only our constant complaints and pressure on our elected Netas/officials can solve the problems. If we keep quite, we are putting our own lives in danger moving around in the soon to be “Smart City”?