Ex-Mayor Shashidhar Hegde demands maximum compensation for woman killed in highway pothole accident

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sept 11, 2025: Former Mangaluru Mayor Shashidhar Hegde has demanded that the National Highways Authority provide maximum compensation to the family of Madhavi, a two-wheeler rider who lost her life after falling into a pothole at Kuloor.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Dakshina Kannada District Congress office in Mallikatte on Wednesday, Hegde said that a criminal case has rightly been registered against the National Highways Authority.

He alleged that the authority has failed to maintain the highways properly, while local MPs and MLAs have remained silent on the issue. “Like the Netravathi river, National Highway 66 is the lifeline of Dakshina Kannada district. If potholes are not repaired within 15 days, the Congress will launch an agitation,” he warned.

Series of accidents

Hegde pointed out that potholes on the national highway continue to claim lives. On Tuesday, Madhavi, a staff member of a private hospital, died after her two-wheeler hit a pothole at Kuloor and was run over by a mini-lorry. On September 6, a two-wheeler rider fell into a pothole at Nanthoor Junction but narrowly escaped death thanks to the alertness of a bus driver behind him. Three months ago at Panambur, Mohammad Ashraf of Surathkal lost his life after his bike skidded into a pothole. Similar tragedies have occurred at Kodikal and elsewhere, where an engineer died on his first day of work and a college lecturer lost her life just before her wedding. “Many who set out to work on this highway never return home alive,” he said.

Call for accountability

“If highway officials cannot do their job, they should resign and go home. MPs and MLAs must step in to resolve the issue,” Hegde demanded.

He noted that the highway’s poor design, lack of maintenance, and absence of basic safety measures were repeatedly discussed at MCC council meetings in the presence of concerned officials. He criticised the NHAI for failing to properly link service roads, leading to multiple accidents at Nanthoor Junction, Kottikallu, and other stretches. While a flyover was needed at KPT Circle, it was instead built at Kulthikaan where there was less traffic, he alleged.

Toll collection questioned

Former corporator A.C. Vinayraj questioned the use of funds, pointing out that the BC Road toll gate collects ₹15–20 crore annually, but the highway repairs remain neglected. “Where has the money collected over the past 10 years gone?” he asked.

Demand for concrete roads

Former opposition leader in MCC, Anil Kumar, said that given the heavy movement of trucks to MRPL and New Mangalore Port, pothole-filling was not enough. “The only permanent solution is to concretise the entire four-lane highway,” he stressed.

Congress leaders Abdul Rauf, Bhaskar K., Lancy Lobo Pinto, Prakash Salian, Shamsuddin Bandar, Shamsuddin Kudroli, Suhan Alva, Ashraf Bajal, Keshav Maroli, and Ashok D.K. were also present.