Four-laning of NH moves at slow pace.

Despite a promise by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to complete four-laning work of National Highway 66 between Talapady and Pump Well by June this year, it appears that road users will have to suffer another round of monsoon going by the slow pace of work.

The NHAI got the old Netravathi bridge closed about a week ago to refurbish its surface. No work was undertaken for almost a week except diverting the traffic from Kasaragod on the newly-built bridge.

For about three days, two workers with an air-compressor are deployed to chip off the top concrete layer.

At this rate, the NHAI will take at least one month to clear the junk and the time to be taken to lay bitumen top on the bridge is again left to the NHAI’s discretion.

Ashoka Vardhana, a naturalist, said this ‘inaction’ of the NHAI had been troubling road users, who have to squeeze on the new Netravathi Bridge.

“What prevented the Authority to deploy a gang of workers and complete the work within a short period of time,” he asked.

NHAI had not put proper signboards about the bridge’s closure and traffic diversion, thereby making driving, particularly during nights, a terrible experience, said Antony Vaaz, a mini-truck driver.

Work on patches between Yekkur Junction and Jeppinamogaru, Thokkottu Junction and Talapady toll booth is going slowly.

So is the work between Pumpwell and Yekkur.

Mr. Vaaz said that though there appeared no constraints for NHAI to complete the four-laning work on these stretches; no vigour is seen in the Authority’s working. Road users are the worst affected because of the apathy of the Authority, he regretted. The stretch between Yekkur Junction and Pumpwell has been a nightmarish experience to drive, he said.

The woes of the residents of Yekkur, off National Highway 66, looks set to continue as the work on four-laning the highway is moving on at a snail’s pace.

Vehicle users moving from Yekkur towards Pumpwell struggle to take a u-turn at Yekkur Junction as the newly-built carriageway is on a higher elevation to the old carriageway.

Vehicles get clogged near Yekkur Junction as the surface of the old road over-bridge is full of potholes, regretted Nityanand, a resident of Yekkur. George J., a taxi diver who frequently plies on the stretch of the highway, said the least NHAI could have done was to divert the traffic on the newly built RoB so that vehicles moved with ease from and to Pumpwell.

THE HINDU