Udupi CMC members furious over road widening project

Udupi CMC members furious over road widening project

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Jan 2, 2012 The issue of widening Car Street and extending the length of its gates was hotly debated at the Udupi CMC general body meeting, which was held on Saturday.

Raising the issue, Shyamprasad Kudva, the member of the CMC, said that the gates leading to the Krishna Mutt have been extended without first discussing the matter in CMC. M. R. Nayak, another member, complained that CMC decisions are being taken by the district administration without consulting the CMC.

Naveen Bhandari, another CMC member, said that the project of widening Car Street must be dropped because it creates a lot of inconvenience for the people in the locality. Alleging that caste politics is at the root of this project, he said that the gates placed across the four openings of the Krishna Mutt must be removed immediately.

Speaking about the gates, MLA Raghupathi Bhat said that they exist for security reasons and that the decision to beef up security in the area was taken at the higher level, which makes it an issue that concerns only the district police and the district administration. However, the project of widening the Tenkapete and Badagupete roads is in its initial phases and survey is being conducetd on this matter.

He also said that the people who will lose their land for this project will be called for a meeting and that the idea will be dropped if the public is against it and unwilling to give up land.

Mr. Bhat also said that the proposal of converting Car Street into a four-lane road was initiated way back in 2009 when the gates across the Mutt openings were installed for security purposes. Stating that the project is yet to be finalized, he said that the government will not continue with the project if the public is unwilling.

Gokuldas Nayak, the commissioner, said that the widening work has been taken up to facilitate the smooth flow of vehicles in the region. If the distance between the gates is less, vehicles cannot pass easily, he said.

CMC members, however, were not convinced with the explanation and demanded to know why the decision was not taken earlier if the gates were constructed in 2009. Finally, President Kiran Kumar said that he will discuss the issue with the SP and the DC within a week to find a solution to the problem.