Bunder Shramika Sangha Protest against Pathetic Condition of Bunder Area Roads
- Bunder Shramika Sangha Members Protest against Pathetic Condition of Bunder Area Roads. Home Guard and acting as a “Good Samaritan” Abdul Rauf has been controlling the traffic for a smooth flow, amidst all this road mess!
Mangaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) may be some years away from its first manned mission to the moon, but in this developing and advancing City named “Mangaluru -Smart City’- a Education Hub, with intelligent and educated people, it has already raced ahead, readying a prototype lunar surface. Well, all thanks to crater-sized potholes on Mangaluru’s roads, especially those on Bunder Road, where you can read more by clicking on this link.(Ref:‘Bunder Bale, Malla Malla Gundi Thule’? Shame on MSCL & MCC for naming Kudla a ‘Smart City’ )
One doesn’t have to wait years to make their dreams come true to go to the moon and do a moon-walk, because if you take a stroll down the Bunder Road vicinity, you will do the moon-walk on the crater size potholes, adoring the business and trade area. And even though there was a huge hoarding (before it was removed few days ago) with pictures of MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and MLA Vedavyas Kamath boasting about the development project of Bunder area, unfortunately both these netas had turned a blind eye towards the pathetic and hazardous condition of the potholed vicinity of Bunder area- and even today, these Bunder roads remain dilapidated.
Fed up with the delay in repairing the roads by Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL) the members of the Bunder Shramika Sangha resorted to a strike from work and staged a protest in Bunder, Mangaluru urging Mangaluru City Corporation and Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. to repair roads in Bunder area dug up for laying underground drainage pipelines under the Smart City Mission. Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of the Sangha and President of Dakshina Kannada unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) B.K. Imtiyaz said that Port Road, Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry Road, J.M. Road, Krishna Mill Road and Ansari Road required immediate repair. The repair work that started few weeks ago, is done on slow pace, and traders, workers, motorists and pedestrians using these pathetic roads are facing lots of inconveniences and hardship”
He further said, “Though the local MLA Vedavyas Kamath had given instructions to repair the road at the earliest, officials have not responded. Workers are finding it difficult to pull their carts. The sangha will give the corporation a one-month deadline. If roads are not repaired by then, it will take out a jatha of carts pulling them up to the MCC office, Lalbagh in the City and lay a siege to the corporation office”. Councillor Abdul Latheef said that development of Bunder should not be ignored by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. 
Vasudev Pai, a trader in Bunder speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “This is ridiculous for us, to travel on such nasty and pathetic roads filled with potholes and mud, and put our lives in risk. We all voted for BJP in the last election, in order to experience a change in the development of Bunder area, however all our hopes are shattered. BJP ruled MCC now is much worse than the earlier Congress ruled MCC. And MSCL is yet another waste civic agency, which lacks Smart projects. We are totally disgusted with the present condition of Bunder road. Thanks for coming here and highlighting the “BEAUTY” of this road and area”.
Anyone who has had the misfortune of commuting on this present Bunder road will testify what a great pain the ride is – literally – owing to the numerous potholes that punctuate the road. I bet a ride on this stretch is akin to a ride on a ‘ camel’s ‘ back- just bumpy! Potholes aren’t just a nuisance for drivers; they also constitute dangerous safety hazards that can produce substantial damage to vehicles, force drivers to veer suddenly in traffic, or even cause the driver to lose control of a vehicle after contact. The gaping streets can also damage a car’s alignment and suspension system. Traders and workers of Bunder area, and other citizens should thank Home Guard Abdul Rauf for his generous service in controlling the traffic amidst the total chaos in that road construction “Deadly” zone?
The city crew should take quick action to fix the potholes before they get deep and worse — thereby avoiding severe driving hazards and vehicle damages. So, while waiting for this road to be restored for a smooth ride, all you traders in that area, and those who do business with these traders, just brace yourself because it’s once again pothole season in Mangaluru. And for sure, the MCC nor MSCL authorities will not take any action, until a major accident takes place, due to potholes? Until then bear with the potholes or curse someone at the MCC//MSCL— and still keep driving safe, and walk safe!
And in the meantime when we have such pothole-ridden roads, our beloved MLA Vedavyas Kamath instead of taking action in seeing that these pathetic condition roads are fixed, he has gone ahead spending crores of Rupees on fencing Nethravathi Bridge-like its going to help a damn thing-a person who wants to commit suicide will go ahead with his plans, whether there is fencing or CCTV’s ( he could give a smile before he jumps). Not a smart idea to go ahead with this project, when there are other important and urgent civic issues to be taken care of. And a humble request to MLA Kamath is that , just like he is too much concerned about people committing suicide, he should also show a keen interest in taking action in rectifying the potholed roads, which are also harmful to the citizens, (those want to live and not take extreem steps) who could lose lives, especially motorists!
