Residents of Bajpe stage a protest on a badly damaged stretch near checkpost on SH-67, recently, demanding immediate repairs
Mangaluru: Several stretches of the Mangaluru-Athrady State Highway (SH-67), a key route between Udupi and Mangaluru International Airport and Kateel temple, are badly damaged, causing inconvenience for motorists and commuters. Earlier, we could reach Mangaluru from Bajpe in about 20 minutes, but now it takes around 45 minutes. Bajpe has at least 12 schools, and students and school vehicles from different directions use the junction.
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Siraj Bajpe, president, Bajpe Nagarikara Hitharakshana Vedike, said the highway served thousands of devotees visiting Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple and Porkodi Temple from across the country. Repairs do not last even a month or two,” he said. If the authorities continue to restrict the work to temporary patchwork instead of undertaking proper asphalting, we will mobilise residents from across Bajpe and stage a massive protest, including a complete blockade of the state highway,” he said. Ismail Bajpe, a local resident, said the road had not been properly asphalted for the past three to four years. The stretch from the airport entrance towards Kateel, besides the road from Bajpe Church towards Kaikamba and Adoor, was in a particularly poor condition, he said. Patients travelling in ambulances also face difficulties,” he said, adding that repeated travel on the damaged road had increased vehicle maintenance expenses. Vasanth Bajpe, another resident, said the poor road condition was affecting schoolchildren, commuters and people travelling to workplaces and religious destinations in the region. A PWD official said patchwork would be undertaken on the damaged stretches immediately after Deepavali as bitumen plants have now started opening. A proposal has been sent for the work, the official said.
“Many travellers going to the airport prefer this route from Mulki to skip the bottlenecks in Kulur, and it is also a short distance. Despite its importance, the road continues to remain in a pathetic condition. He questioned how MLAs, ministers and MPs who frequently travel along the stretch had failed to address the issue. “We recently staged a protest near Bajpe checkpost and submitted a memorandum to the officials. The potholes must be filled and the road properly asphalted. “The condition of the road has made commuting extremely difficult. He pointed out that the absence of proper drains on either side of several stretches had further worsened the situation. Download the TOI App.