In view of the water-logging on the Mysuru-Bengaluru road on Monday after heavy overnight rains in Ramanagaram region, KSRTC in Mysuru diverted the Bengaluru-bound buses to alternative routes.
KSRTC’s Divisional Commissioner in Mysuru Ashok Kumar said all Bengaluru-bound buses including Airavatha were diverted to take the Malavalli-Kanakapura-Bengaluru route. The diversion is expected to remain in place till the water recedes from the highway and facilitates smooth transportation.
People travelling in private vehicles from Mysuru to Bengaluru were also diverted to alternative routes. Sources in Mandya district police control room said the vehicles plying on the route were diverted at Maddur. A few others took a deviation at Srirangapatna to pass through Bellur Cross, Kunigal and Nelamangala before reaching Bengaluru.
Minister for Co-operation S.T. Somashekar, who is also the Minister in charge of Mysuru district, arrived in Mysuru from Bengaluru on Monday to participate in a series of programmes, skipped the Mysuru-Bengaluru road. According to his tour schedule, the took the Nelamangala-Bellur Cross-Nagamangala-Pandavapura road to reach Mysuru.
Sources in Mysuru Division Railways said there was no disruption in train services on Monday. All the train operations on the route remained normal.
Meanwhile, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha took to social media to clarify that the water logging on the highway was not account of shoddy road work but on account of unprecedented heavy rains and the consequent breaching of the lakes.
Appearing on Facebook Live on Monday, Mr. Simha said project manager and site engineers, besides National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director Sridhar were on the spot trying to clear the water logging. Seeking to respond to the allegations on various social media platforms that blamed the poor quality of road construction for the flooding, the Mysuru MP reasoned that flooding was not confined to the under-construction highway, but was also happening in several residential areas in Ramanagaram.
Instead of blaming the road works, he asked the residents of Ramanagaram, Channapatna and Mandya to ask their respective people’s representatives to desilt the lakes and remove encroachments of canals to facilitate unhindered flow of water.
