Muddy road troubles businessmen near DC’s office

The businessmen in the Mission Street area, Mangaluru, have been complaining that road and related works are affecting their life in multiple ways.

The Nellikayi Road from near the deputy commissioner’s office as well as the Mission Street are in the heart of the business area in Mangaluru and the people here are worried over mainly poor management of the roads and drains.

Social activist Zakir Ikhlas said, “The asphalt has come off. We have to use mud roads for six to eight km from Nellikayi Road till even Kudroli area. Vehicles on the roads and those parked by the stretches have been getting mud coats due to the poor condition. People fear for their health the most. The mud rising with the constant movement of vehicles on such mud roads will naturally make way for breathing problems like asthma,” he told DH.

Ahmad, owner of the Regal Plaza, and Ashfaq Ahmad, owner of the Hotel Citywalk Residency, pointed at businessmen who are busy sprinkling water on the streets to prevent the mud from rising. “Our business has been affected as customers prefer not to enter an area dusty like this,” they complained.

The owner of Ganesh Medicals, on condition of anonymity, concurred and said that they cannot even keep stocks of medicine for fear of the dust affecting the quality of the stock.

“We have spoken to the Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner. But he has only said that the work on the roads is on. No tender has apparently been called to lay concrete on the stretch, but we would prefer at least asphalt,” he insisted.

Speaking of the drains, another activist Faizal bin Ismail said, “The pipeline laid by the corporation for the underground drains in the area is very narrow. During the heavy rain this year, many of us feared the drains would choke. There was also fear of attack of diseases like dengue.”

When contacted, Corporator Latheef said that the corporation is no longer in charge of the streets. “The roads have been assigned to the Smart City Project. The deputy commissioner heads the various committees that are handling the Project,” he stated.

“A meeting was held on Saturday, but no tender has been called for concrete roads yet. Also, separate tenders will be called for work on the drains, which will be reset. The deputy commissioner has instructed the officers to hasten the work from Nellikayi Road till the Mukhyaprana Temple in the Bunder area, passing through Mission Street,” the corporator said.

In response to the complaints of the citizens, Latheef explained, “Very often, the technicians assign a certain number of days for a road or drain work to be completed in an appropriate manner. In the case of asphalt or concrete work, the technicians assign days for curing. The citizens, however, mistake it to be a halt in the work and accuse us of inaction and negligence.”