Bhatkal: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director Shivakumar has appealed to the public to extend their cooperation to ensure the timely completion of the ongoing highway development works in Bhatkal taluk.
Speaking during an interaction with members of the Bhatkal Citizens’ Protection Forum (Naagarika Horata Samiti), Shivakumar said that the authorities are aware of the local issues and that efforts are being made to address them in a phased manner.
During the meeting, Forum President Satish Kumar Naik raised concerns over the removal of streetlights by the Town Municipal Council (TMC) during the highway widening works three years ago. He pointed out that the contractor, IRB Infrastructure Developers, has still not reinstalled the lights, leading to frequent accidents, and questioned who would be held responsible for this situation.
Responding to the concern, the Project Director assured that temporary streetlights would be installed at necessary locations by IRB. He added that a blueprint has been prepared to ensure proper drainage of rainwater from the highway into nearby rivers to prevent flooding during the monsoon. Instructions have also been issued to the contractor to construct service roads and install streetlights wherever required.
Shivakumar further stated that completing the highway project remains the top priority, after which local infrastructure improvements will be taken up in subsequent phases based on priority and necessity. He urged local residents to cooperate with the ongoing works to ensure their smooth completion.
Following the meeting, the Project Director, along with TMC officials and IRB representatives, conducted a site inspection across various locations and directed the contractor to carry out the necessary works in response to public demands.
Among those present were Abdul Raqeeb M.J. Nadvi, General Secretary of the local social organisation Tanzeem; Advocate Imran Lanka, Vice-President of Jali Pattan Panchayat; members Misbahul Haq, Altaf Kharuri, Jailani Shabandari, Muhiddin Ruknuddin; TMC Chief Officer Venkatesh Nauda; engineers Aravind Rao, Vishwanath Angadi, Sudesh Shetty, Nagaraj Naik, and several others.
It may be recalled that the slow pace of the ongoing National Highway works in Bhatkal, the absence of service roads in main areas, and the removal of the proposed flyover near Shamsuddin Circle had sparked growing public dissatisfaction. Under the banner of the Bhatkal Hitarakshana Naagarik Vedike, representatives of several local organisations — including the town’s leading social body Tanzeem — have been holding repeated meetings to discuss the issue.
In one such recent meeting, a proposal to block the highway and shut down the Shiroor tollgate in protest was discussed. Following this, the Bhatkal Tahsildar convened a meeting with officials of the NHAI and the contractor IRB Infrastructure Developers to review the situation. Subsequently, this latest interaction with the Project Director and the inspection of key sites was organised.
As a result of the meeting, it is reported that the NH four-laning work in Bhatkal has now resumed once again.