People express ire over bad road in Khader’s constituency

Mangaluru: The pathetic condition of the Vitla-Mudipu-Konaje-Asaigoli road in assembly Speaker UT Khader's constituency has been a cause of concern for thousands of daily commuters and bus owners. Residents say that the road was not asphalted for more than two years. Several fatal road accidents have occurred due to potholes on the 25km stretch, where several educational institutions, including Mangalore University.Rani Abbakka Bus Employees Association president Althaf Usman said that bus owners are suffering financial losses due to frequent breakdowns. "Though several organisations submitted memorandums in the past two years, none of the authorities have responded yet. Those who commute regularly, especially on two-wheelers, are facing hardships. Bus operators are the ones who are most affected, as they are forced to shell out a huge amount to replace spare parts regularly," he said.Leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Razak Montepadavu, said that a placard protest has been launched, seeking solutions to the issue. "The MLA of the constituency, UT Khader, who is also the Speaker of the Karnataka assembly, seems not to have taken the issue seriously. While accidents and traffic congestions occur regularly, commuters are facing inconvenience when they are not able to reach Mangaluru or other places on time. People of the constituency will raise their voice if the road is not repaired," he said.Meanwhile, a release from the office of the MLA stated that Rs 2 crore was released to develop the Chembugudde-Darandabagilu-Nithyadhar Nagar-Pandith House stretch of the Thokkottu-Mudipu road. " The repair of the stretch will begin soon after the rainy season," the MLA stated.However, there was no response to the demand for the repair of the Vitla-Mudipu-Konaje-Asaigoli road stretch.