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The issue of the poor condition of the national highways passing through the city dominated the general body meeting of the Udupi city municipal council (CMC) here on Monday.

Raising the issue, Ramesh Kanchan, councillor, said that the Udupi-Tirthahalli national highway 169A passing through the city had become damaged due to rain. There were potholes on the road at MIT Bus Stand, Manipal Bus Stand and Syndicate Circle, he said.

Janardhan Bhandarkar, councillor, said that these potholes had also resulted in some road accidents in Manipal and Udupi and the people were blaming the CMC for the bad condition of the road.

Manjunath, officer from the National Highways Department, said that the highway was earlier the Malpe-Molkalmur State Highway and was handed over by the Public Works Department to the National Highways Department only in January, 2015.

Hence, no funds were set aside for it in the proposals sent by the Department. Normally repairs to the highway were taken up after the monsoon.

The temporary solution to the potholes was to fill it with wet mix. But after a few days, the wet mix gave away, he said.

D. Manjunathayya, CMC commissioner, said that the department should put up boards stating that the highway belonged to them with their phone numbers. At this, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, said that Mr. Manjunathayya was politicising the issue by marking roads as those belonging to the Union and State governments.

Mr. Manjunathayya said that he had not politicised the issue, but had only tried to convey the gravity of the problem. There were heated exchanges between the ruling Congress and the Opposition benches.

Chandrakant Naik, councillor, said that even NH 66 was in bad shape near Kallianpur-Santhekatte junction. Dinaker Shetty, councillor, said that the CMC should have approached Shobha Karandlaje, MP, on this issue. CMC President P. Yuvaraj said that the CMC had already written to Ms. Karandlaje on this issue.

Mr. Bhandarkar said that all the roads in CMC, which were in poor shape needed to be repaired, whether they belonged to the Union or State governments. Mr. Manjunath said that the Department would start the work of filling of potholes on NH 169A in a week.

Proposal to widen NH 169A Malpe-Athrady road submitted

A proposal worth Rs. 92 crore for widening NH 169A from Malpe to Athrady has been submitted to the National Highways Authority of India. Malpe is at the western end of Udupi city, while Athrady is at the eastern end.

Speaking at the general body meeting of the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) here on Monday, Assistant Engineer of National Highways Department, Manjunath, said while the road from Athrady to MIT bus stand was two-lane, the road from MIT bus stand to Syndicate Circle was four-lane. Even the four-lane road required an expansion, he said.

The other stretches from Malpe to Athrady required widening wherever it was narrow. The widened road would have storm-water drains on both sides. This would lessen the chance of damage to the road. Besides, it would also have parking facilities at designated spots, Mr. Manjunath said.

M.R. Pai, Leader of the Opposition in the CMC, asked if NHAI would widen the railway overbridge at Indrali through which NH 169A passed.

Mr. Manjunath said the railway bridges, including overbridges and underbridges, were the property of the Indian Railways. The money for widening work of the railway overbridge at Indrali had been deposited with the Indian Railways, he said.
The widened road will have storm-water drains on both sides, and parking facilities