The Hassan district administration has resolved to decide on the closure of Shiradi Ghat stretch of NH 75, as requested by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), after a spot inspection on January 20. This was decided at a meeting with people’s representatives in Hassan on Monday.
The NHAI, in its letter to the Hassan DC on January 6, had sought the closure for the construction of a four-lane road between Donigal and Maranahalli, about 10 km in Sakleshpur taluk.
Hassan DC R. Girish said an inspection of the actual progress of the road work between Hassan and Maranahalli, taken up by NHAI, would be inspected in the presence of the Hassan Lok Sabha member, legislators and representatives of organisations in Sakleshpur on January 20. The administration will consider the opinion of all concerned before taking a decision. “The road work has been going on at a slow pace. The public is angry with the delay in completing the work. However, the widening of roads is also important. We have to take a decision only after verifying all factors involved,” he said.
The NHAI took the project to develop a four-lane highway between Hassan and Maranahalli in Sakleshpur taluk in May 2016. Isolux Corson, the construction company had bagged the contract, and the work was scheduled to be completed in three years. However, even 5.5 years after the work started, only 31% of the progress has been achieved so far. Now it has decided to take up the stretch between Donigal and Maranahalli by closing the Shiradi Ghat stretch.
The people’s representatives and residents of Sakleshpur have opposed the idea of closing the road. Sakleshpur MLA H.K. Kumraswamy, who attended the meeting, told presspersons, “The travel from Sakleshpur to Hassan (40 km) takes more than one-and-half-an-hour time, because of incomplete work. People are fed up with the delay in completing the project. Hence, we want the NHAI to finish at least two-lane road connecting Hassan and Sakleshpur by April, before seeking the closure of the ghat-stretch.”
Lok Sabha member Prajwal Revanna is also angry with the slow pace. “The highway is major connectivity between Bengaluru and port city Mangaluru. There is a movement of goods between the two cities. If the road is closed, it affects the transportation of goods. Let there be an inspection of the actual position of the road, before taking a decision on road closure,” he said.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra had also also joined the meeting through video conference.
