MRPL, Kuthetoor road adopted by a company only for record purpose

Autos refuse to come here, buses will soon stop service

The four Kilo Metres  stretch from Kuthetoor to Surinje in Surathkal is in bad condition.

The road has been spoilt to the extent that not just the drivers and riders find it difficult to use the stretch but even the pedestrians are finding it difficult to tread this way.

What can be called a paradox is the fact that despite so many companies cropping up in Surathkal area, even a basic requirement like good road is something that the people of this region have been deprived of.

Because of this plight of the roads, the autorikshaw drivers refuse to come to this area and the bus operators too have said that they will terminate the operation of the buses on this route if the road is not repaired at the earliest.

The local residents who are hogging dust literally, say that despite their continued plea to various departments of the Government and to MRPL, it has not yielded any result. However, recently Department of Public Works did send an estimation of Rs three lakh for surfacing four kms stretch.

But after covering 50 mts, the department Engineer said that Rs three lakh has been used and there is no further sanction.

Raged by this, the local residents questioned the kind of work executed by the PWD. However, there have been no answered for the various questioned posed by the local residents.

No response from MRPL

Though MRPL claims that it has adopted Kuthetoor village the residents of the village say that they have not got any facility from the Company. “We went to the Company twice seeking repair of the road but our plea has fallen on deaf ears.

Officials from the Company once told us that an estimation of Rs 76 lakh has been prepared and the same will be approved in 45 days. Two months have passed since then and there are still no signs of the work starting,” said a local resident.

The residents say that in the past, the MRPL had made similar promises to repair Mangalapet Menasukadu road but the stretch of road never saw any repairs.

Karunakar Shetty, a senior citizen from the village had given his fertile agriculture land for the purpose of Kuthetoor road.

He says that Kuthetoor road was sanctioned during Srinivas Mallya’s tenure and during Lokaiah Shetty’s tenure the road was laid. When Vijay Kumar Shetty was the MLA Surinje-Bajau road was surfaced and the surfacing was extended till Kuthetoor under Kumble Sundar Rao.

“Today plying of heavy vehicles from and to these major industries is the reason why the roads have been damaged. Even earlier when the bus operators decided to cut off service to this region I and many like-minded people had staged stir. What is the point sacrificing fertile land for the road, which is not of any use to us,” he questions.

MSEZ reason

The locals say that the Mangalore Special Economic Zone is the main reason why development works are lagging behind in the region. “Since the area was notified for MSEZ developmental works were stopped. The officials feel that if the land is acquired for MSEZ then their money will be wasted.

So they have not been coming forth to improve the roads here,” says a resident adding that now that the region has been denotified the reason behind the apathy is still a mystery.

Protest

It is said that the MRPL had sought time till April 4 and the residents of the region have accordingly decided to stage stir outside Deputy Commissioner’s office, MRPL Main Gate and outside MSEZ office if the road works are initiated.