MANGALORE: A forum comprising school and college teachers, representatives of management committees of educational institutions, voluntary organisations and corporators here has urged the Union Government to modify the plan of a proposed flyover on National Highway 17 at Surathkal.

The forum has said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should construct a four-lane, two-way flyover instead of the proposed three-lane, one-way flyover at Surtahkal.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, M.S. Krishna Bhat, the former chairman of the Karnataka Bank, and vice-president of Hindu Vidyadayinee Sangha, who spoke on behalf of the forum, said Surathkal has a number of educational institutions, and schoolchildren have to cross the National Highway 17 everyday. There is heavy traffic on the highway and the area has witnessed many accidents, he said.

The forum has learnt that NHAI has planned to allow one-way traffic (from Mangalore to Udupi) on the road, while traffic from Udupi to Mangalore (one-way) will be allowed on the flyover. According to the plan, the flyover will be three-lane and one-way to facilitate vehicular movement from Udupi to Mangalore.

Instead, the NHAI should construct a four-lane, two-way flyover to enable traffic from Udupi to Mangalore and from Mangalore to Udupi on the flyover to avoid congestion of traffic on the road.

Nearly 7,000 children between the ages of four and 18 attend schools and colleges in the area, and a four-lane, two-way flyover will be safe and more beneficial.

S. Prasad, consulting engineer, H. Giridhar Hatwal, secretary, H.V. Sangha, and others spoke.

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