Belthangady: The Charmadi Ghat on Mangaluru-Villupuram National Highway is witnessing precarious caving on the sides of the road.
Despite the road being upgraded to the status of being a National Highway, nothing much has changed for this stretch of road in terms of the quality and upgrade.
What is evident is the width of the road. Though there is a stipulated width for the NH, the Charmadi Ghat remains following the guidelines of the state highway, posing major problem for the commuters.
Already considered to be a dangerous stretch due to its deep curves and difficult terrain, the road has developed craters on the sides due to heavy downpour posing threats to the commuters. The locals say that if necessary patch work is not done on immediate basis then mishaps due to the craters will scar the ghats during the monsoons.
Charmadi Hasanabba, a local hotelier who had helped umpteen number of accident victims over the years says that there is no facilities available along the ghat.
“It is difficult to explain the pangs if one gets stranded in the ghat in the night. There are no lights, drinking water or other facilities. There is no mobile network available so that people in distress can intimate someone about their plight. There are no cranes to lift the vehicles that meet with accidents and there are no ambulances to take the accident victims here,” says Hasanabba adding that over the years their demands have fallen on deaf ears.
He says that the administration must take steps to repair the caverns on the roads so that innocent lives are saved.
