Mangaluru: Last night, one of our staff members was travelling to Bajpe to attend a meeting on a scooter. It was around 7.30 pm and it had begun to rain. The road was slippery. On a stretch of road heading out of Mangalore towards Bajpe, just at the bend where the MIA exit road joins the main road, they went into and out of a deep and massive pot hole and almost lost their balance and maybe their lives. The return journey was similar for on the other side of the divder is a similar dip in the road structure, albeit a little less dangerous. Poor visibility because of the bend and the poor lighting on the road especially at that place only made it worse.
This is not an isolated phenomenon in Mangaluru. Stretches of well maintained road, punctured unexpectedly by a pot hole, often round a bend and invisible to the drivers eye, especially as he concentrates on the road abound. Any last minute attempts to swerve or suddenly apply brakes to avoid the sudden dip, could easily result in a fatal accident as it happened in Bengaluru last Sunday.
On Sunday, Oct 8 Radhamma alias Radha, a homemaker from Shyampura, was killed when she was headed towards Ramanagara to meet her relatives. As her son tried to avoid a pothole, Radha, who was riding pillion, came under the wheels of a truck on Nayandahalli main road stretch near Panatarapalaya and died on the spot.
Radha’s death enraged Bengaluru. Just a week before, a couple (Anthony Joseph and Sagai Mary) had died as Joseph tried to avoid a pothole and a Tamil Nadu road transport bus hit it from behind. Social media erupted in anger; so much so that Bengaluru in-charge minister KJ George and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the spot and asked BBMP to fix all potholes in 15 days.
Do we need a similar situation to happen in Mangaluru? Can it not be prevented? Will the concerned authorities do the needful urgently? Indeed we are surprised that nothing substantive has been done as many business and political VIP’s travel up and down that road to the airport as they go about their business of generating income and employment and governing the state.
We understand that the road maintenance is the preserve of the PWD and not the city corporation as it is under the Panchayat Limits. We could not connect with any of the concerned authorities in this regard. However our appeal to do the needful early remains.
