Mangaluru: The tragic death of a 44-year-old woman on National Highway 66 near Kulur has once again highlighted the dangerous condition of the road. The victim, Madhavi, a hospital employee from Udupi, lost her life on September 9 when her scooter struck a pothole, throwing her onto the road where she was run over by a lorry.
Fatal accident caught on CCTV
The incident occurred around 8:30 am, as Madhavi was riding to AJ Hospital. CCTV footage showed her scooter hitting a pothole near the Kulur flyover, leading her to fall directly in the path of a fish-laden lorry. She died on the spot.
This was the second such accident on the same stretch within a month. On August 13, another rider had fallen after hitting a pothole at the same location but survived. Residents say potholes have long plagued the road, turning it into a death trap during the monsoon.
Emergency meeting after public outrage
The incident sparked widespread anger, with citizens questioning the accountability of civic agencies. Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta convened an emergency meeting with officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the Mangaluru City Corporation, local MLAs, and the police.
Chowta assured that repairing the road was now a “top priority”, noting that a Rs 28 crore tender for road maintenance was already in place. He admitted, however, that the heavy rains had delayed work.
Repairs planned but repeatedly delayed
According to officials, repair work had been planned earlier in July between the KIOCL Junction near the old Kulur bridge and the Ayyappa Temple. The project was scheduled from July 22 to July 25, with diversions announced by police and alternate routes suggested to ease traffic.
Heavy vehicles, including gas and petrol tankers for industries such as ONGC, BPCL, IOCL, and Total Gas, had been instructed to avoid peak hours and use the new Kulur bridge. But poor weather stalled the work, leaving the road in a hazardous condition.
Public safety concerns remain
Locals say repeated complaints about the condition of NH-66 have been ignored until now, despite the high volume of traffic the stretch carries daily. Madhavi’s death has intensified demands for immediate and permanent repairs to prevent further tragedies.