Lack of clarity delaying Shiradi Ghat reconstruction.

Lack of clarity between the State and central agencies appears to be delaying the proposed reconstruction work of the Shiradi Ghat, the vital link between the coast and the hinterland, on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway.

The contract for making a 13-km stretch Ghat road (Heggadde to Kempu Hole guesthouse) concrete was awarded back in May and the package, for making the remaining 13-km Ghat stretch (Kempu Hole guest house to Adda Hole near Gundya) concrete and the reconstruction of the bitumen of a 21-km stretch (Gulagalale near Salakeshpur to Heggadde), is yet to be awarded.

The second package got delayed as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways took time to approve it under engineering, procurement and construction mode, a top Public Works Department official told The Hindu. The contract will shortly be awarded, he added.

Initially there was confusion as to who would undertake the reconstruction - the National Highways Authority of India, which was making the Hassan-B.C. Road stretch of the National Highway four-lane or the Public Works Department. Sorting out the issue took some time, he said.

Since July, the Public Works Department had been announcing the closure of the Ghat for vehicles from December 1. By mid-November, the closure was postponed by a fortnight , the proposal was said to have been put on hold.

The result is that even if the Ghat is closed for traffic immediately, all that the authorities can allow now is making a small portion of the Ghat concrete.


THE HINDU