Protesters Express Anger against Incomplete NH Work and Kundapur Flyover
Kundapur: “The problems faced by the people because of the incomplete National Highway work and the Kundapur Flyover can only be resolved if the local Lok Sabha members, MLAs and members of the Protest committee could meet the Union Road and transport minister. If the MP and MLA’s are going to meet the minister, I am ready to go along with them. I am ready to give my full support to resolve the incomplete National Highway and the Kundapur Flyover work”, said the former minister and MP K Jayaprakash Hegde.
He was addressing the protesters in regard to the incomplete National Highway and Kundapur Flyover work at the Kundapur Shastri Circle on Tuesday, December 3.
Addressing the protesters Jayaprakash Hegde said, “In 2016, the proposed project worth Rs 22.24 Crore was approved. There are many reasons for the slow down of the project. There is a necessity to fight for this in New Delhi. When I was the MP we had protested against the areca nut problems in Delhi and succeeded”.
Commenting over the statement of present MP Shobha Karandlaje about the Flyover, Hegde said, “In the original plan there was only an embankment and an underpass plan sanctioned near the Shashtri Circle. After demands by the public, the construction of the Flyover was approved”.
Jayaprakash Hegde further said, “The Kundapur Rashtriya Heddari Horata Samithi president Kenchanoor Somshekar Shetty said that the NHAI officials ignored the National Highway project for over 10 years. They were not attending any district-level meetings. When one deputy commissioner was transferred from the district all the decisions which he had taken during his tenure were ignored. The peoples’ Representatives also ignored the problems and failed to work for the betterment of the district”.
Assistant commissioner Kundapur K Raju who visited the protest venue and heard grievances of the protesters and asked the NHAI officials and Navayuga Company officials to give a deadline for completing the work. The officials then gave March 31 as the last deadline to complete the work.
If the company failed to complete the work by March 31, the district administration will be going to close the toll plazas in Udupi district, warned the assistant commissioner.
When the Assistant commissioner moved from the spot the protesters started to raise slogans against MP Shobha Karandlaje and tried to Block the National Highway. There was a minor commotion between the police and protesters. Later CPI Manjappa and PSI Harish Naik pacified the protesters. The protesters then moved away from the Highway.
Leaders Kishore Kumar, Rajesh Kaveri, Shashidhar Hemmady, Alwyn Andrade, Prathap Shetty, Vittal Poojary, Prashanth Shetty, Mallyadi Shivaram Shetty, Devaki P Sannayya and others were present.
The construction work of the flyover on National Highway 66 in Kundapur town has been going on for 10 years. Besides this, the construction of an underpass at Basrur Murukai in the same town about a kilometre from the flyover site also remains incomplete from over five years. The incomplete construction of both these projects has made driving/riding vehicles a nightmare. Besides the vehicle drivers pedestrians also suffer.
The deadline for the construction of the flyover has been continuously revised over the years. The Navyug Udupi Tollway Pvt. Ltd., has been working in the widening of NH 66 in the district.