The Hindu : Karnataka News : Some bright spots here and there

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Some bright spots here and there

M. Raghuram

It is not that all of Mangalore’s roads are in a terrible shape. There are success stories, too

Some very old roads are still in very good shape
Concrete roads are not the best solution

It is not that all roads are in a terrible shape or are laid badly, in Mangalore. There are roads in and around the city which have braved the traffic and the elements for more than a quarter century. The Kulur Bridge to the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) Guest House road was laid in 1972 during the commissioning of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company. To this day, this road has no pot holes.

The Car Street and the roads on the periphery were laid in 1982. According to Mangalore City Corporation records, says former councillor Devananda Pai, this road had not seen any major repair till now except for the odd digging for telephone or power lines. Similarly there are other roads inside the city such as Mother Teresa Road (formerly Falnir Road), the Mangaladevi-Father Muller Road and Kankanady-Falnir Road (Highlands) that are in fairly decent shape.

So why are they good? Krishnappa Poojary, Commissioner of Mangalore City Corporation, attributes it to a scientifically designed foundation and gradient that enables rain water to drain very fast. As the water does not seep into the road, the bituminous layer does not get affected at all, he says.

Hanumanth Kamath, president of the NGO, Nagarika Hitarakshna Vedike, while conceding there are good roads, feels there is scope for improvement.

He points out that the Mangalore City Corporation floats tenders for road construction and repair only in April.

It takes at least another month to begin the work and 20-25 days to complete it. This includes the “cooling period” for tenders, awarding of work and the actual repair.

Repairs

By the time all this is negotiated, the repair is completed only at the end of May. And then it is time for the monsoon to wreak havoc on the roads. Mr. Kamath sees a conspiracy in the method of working.

Experts and NGOs have long been demanding that road works should not extend beyond March so that the summer heat will play its role in binding and compacting the road, he said.

The biggest sufferers of bad roads are the owners of buses and autorickshaws. Aziz Parthipady, secretary of the Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners Association, bemoans the damage vehicles suffer, necessitating replacement of spring plates and tyres. Moreover, the frequent changing of gears affects the fuel consumption, Mr. Aziz says.

Bitumen factor

The bad roads did bring the unity in the Mangalore City Corporation when the issue figured on a couple of occasions during the 2002-07 Council. Both the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiua Janata Party had criticised the quality of bitumen, which they said had high oil content, affecting the adhesive quality so vital for the longevity of the road.

Some members had sent the bitumen sample for testing at the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal and it was found that multiple heating was bad for bitumen. Members checked for themselves and discovered that it was being heated thrice before laying when it should be heated only once.

In 2002-03, the Corporation decided to concrete four major roads — Kudmul Ranga Rao Road - Bunts Hostel road, PVS circle to Lady Hill Circle, Ambedkar Circle to Hampankatta Road and Lady hill to Durga Mahal.

Road watchdog committee

But there are those not happy with these roads also. Dinesh Pai, convener, Raste Kavalu Samithi (Road watchdog committee), alleges irregularities in the construction of these roads. He accused the contractors of having cut corners and costs by using less cement and more sand. The Kavalu samithi pre-empted such shenanigans by paying surprise visits to the spots and alerting the authorities.

Concrete roads

Vidya Dinakar, convener, of the NGO, Citizens Forum for Mangalore Development, opines that concrete roads should not be encouraged at this point of time in a developing city such as Mangalore as there are no facilities or infrastructure to take the power lines underground. Right now, all the power lines pass overhead, entailing constant pruning and felling of trees.

Concrete roads, she says, should be laid only after all the cables are firmly put underground with proper ducting facility. Moreover, there is no baseline survey or planning and prioritisation for laying concrete roads, she points out.

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