Karnataka - Mangalore   

Parked trucks hampering traffic movement near Suratkal

Special Correspondent

Road widening, temporary parking spaces may help solve the problem, says MLA

BUMPER-TO-BUMPER: Bullet tankers choking the road near MRPL on Thursday.

MANGALORE: The road from Suratkal and Honnakatte to Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) was clogged with vehicles on Thursday. A large number of heavy vehicles, particularly `bullet' tankers, made traffic crawl for 5 km near MRPL.

The trucks coming from neighbouring States such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala transport LPG and petroleum. They are often parked close to the cargo gate of MRPL as drivers wait to collect their token.

According to HPCL and MRPL officials, the loading of vehicles takes minimum time as the machinery is fast enough to complete the task in around 25 minutes. Also, there is an organised way of allowing the trucks to the terminals, the officials say.

The truck terminus at Baikampady is not favoured by many truck drivers as it does not have basic facilities. The terminus, work on which was to have been completed by the end of 2003, is far from the full-fledged truck terminus that the authorities promised. It, however, can accommodate 300 trucks that come to the New Mangalore Port and the terminus is always full, the truck drivers complain.

No parking space

Muthu Mani, who works for the Chennai-based Andavar Truck Company, says that after driving up to 800 km, the drivers have to search for parking space and run from pillar to post to get clearance from the authorities. This forces many drivers to park their vehicles wherever there is space, which often leads to traffic snarls. The truck crew need resting places with good eateries, which are not there in Mangalore, he complains.

Dalip Singh of Sandhu and Co., Punjab, who has made many trips between Mathura refineries and Mumbai, says the parking facilities are orderly in both Maharashtra as well as Mathura.

According to records maintained at the checkpost, over 3,000 bullet tankers arrive in Mangalore every day. At any given time, there are that many trucks in and around Suratkal, which affects the smooth flow of vehicular traffic.

Road widening

Suratkal MLA J. Krishna Palemar, who has had to face public ire over the issue, says widening the road and creating temporary parking spaces on the road to MRPL and HPCL terminals may solve the problem. He told The Hindu that the police are yet to act on his request to regulate the traffic.

K. Thejomaya, former Chairman of Mangalore Urban Development Authority, who was instrumental in executing the truck terminus project at Baikampady, laments that the project appears to have fallen by the wayside.

The Rs. 14-crore project would have made roads in and around Mangalore safe for motorists. But owing to political reasons, the project has not been completed, he says.

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