Travel On Pathetic VAS LANE Stretch Is Akin To A Ride On A ‘Camel’s‘ Back- Just Bumpy! While MLA and Mangaluru City Corporation are busy with remaining Roads and Circles but have turned a blind eye to the pathetic and potholed roads/streets in the City, and the said road is one among them, where travelling on Vas Lane is a nightmare, especially for the two-wheeler riders
Mangaluru: Once a nice looking VAS LANE layered with interlock bricks a few years ago, at present the situation of the lane mentioned is very shameful to explain, however, if you describe the condition of this stretch of the Lane, it is nothing but in SHAMBLES, PATHETIC and very DISGRACEFUL, and DISASTROUS? But has anyone living on this road, from RICH people to common persons ever complained to the concerned authorities, or if they have raised their voices on the issue, then probably the concerned officials have remained NUMB!
Heavy rains, along with busy traffic taking this route have formed a worst-case scenario for repair crews who are struggling to find and fix all the emerging potholes. But are they doing the job right? I don’t think so. Throwing some loose stuff in a hole and just hoping the traffic driving over it will fix it, will not serve the purpose. The evidence now says otherwise. I think the only way to solve the current pothole mess is to lay a two-layered concrete road with a seal coat but the problem is, our authorities are busy playing blame games. By the way, have you taken VAS LANE recently- If you haven’t, please try to stay away from it!
Where is the Mayor? Where is the DC? Where is the Ward Corporator? Where are the PWD and District Administration Authorities? The construction plan for this Lane now is a total mess. Vas Lane is where you find the best cream of the society living in posh houses, then there are expensive apartments, and not to mention, UNITY HOSPITAL, where it is busy with patients flocking day and night. Imagine ambulances taking this pathetic road with patients inside- a sick person will be more sick after he or she is transported to Unity Hospital or any other hospital through this road.
Just look at the pictures, you will know what I am talking about. Quite a few residents have given few cents of their property for the widening of Vas Lane, even though they have not been compensated for their land, other than TDA (which is nothing but a joke), and the residents who have donated their land are facing hardships entering their property, since the work is incomplete, and no workers have been seen for weeks, as per two residents who obliged to give away few cents for a good cause. The workers have also damaged a water pipe, and water has been leaking for days. (watch the video below). When MCC officials are cautioning citizens to use water wisely and not waste it unnecessarily, they themselves are abusing it.
It’s simply chaos at the moment driving or riding on Vas Lane, and there has been traffic congestion all the time, with the mess left behind by the incomplete work. Does anyone care about it? Definitely NO! Hard earned tax-payers money wasted on bad planning of roads, footpaths, drainage etc. Yes, in Mangaluru lately we have been seeing new roads being constructed-the road widening was proposed as a solution to the traffic congestion in this growing city with lots of traffic and commuters.
India’s education hub, Mangaluru has an abundance of charms but its roads and traffic are not among them. The roads are narrow and the network woefully scanty, despite the fast-paced growth and exploding vehicle population in this city. Roads are so wretched that helpless residents can only make light of the misery by creating pothole-counting face-offs and crater-measuring contests. But when they decide to build new roads, they are not planned properly.
Instead of fixing bad roads and lanes FIRST, our MCC/MSCL officials are busy resurfacing inner lanes with brand new interlock bricks and concentrating more on renaming Roads/Lanes and Circles. But when it comes to fixing the bad roads they are slow and careless. As long as cheap quality tar is being used and layered too thinly, we will continue to have these problems every year. It’s an obvious pattern and I wonder why nobody is looking into this. Without any delay, MCC or MSCL should undertake a major exercise to refurbish City’s dilapidated roads, including VAS LANE.
An ambulance driver speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “This is the only approach to Unity Hospital, when I transport patients, during my travel from Balmatta road. In spite of rushing the serious or non-serious patients in the ambulance at a maximum speed, all my efforts to reach Unity Hospital are delayed while navigating through this potholed and dangerous lane. I am very cautious when I enter Vas Lane since I don’t want to put the patient at hardship and risk. Once a pregnant woman faced lots of inconveniences while I was trying to reach her hospital travelling on this treacherous Lane. It’s been months or probably years that Vas Lane is in such condition, and nothing has been done, other than making it worse for ambulance drivers like me, trying to reach a patient to the hospital in time”.
A senior citizen residing on Vas Lane said, “At the beginning, I was reluctant to give a few cents of my property for road widening, but later changed my mind, and out of courtesy for the benefit of citizens and neighbours using this lane, I obliged. Unfortunately, now I am facing inconveniences and hardship to enter into my property, since they have dug around my compound wall, and left the work incomplete. For days I have never seen anyone working, and due to recent rains the water has stranded and I am worried about my health issues, like getting Malaria or Dengue. Is this what I get for being nice and giving a portion of my property for nothing to the MCC, and now facing all kinds of hardships? It is not just me, others who have also given partial land for road widening are also facing hardships due to slow pace and incomplete work. Seems like our people whom we voted for are least bothered and ignoring us”.
Driving or riding on Vas Lane is like an obstacle course. Drivers keep swerving and manoeuvring to make sure they miss every pothole and broken interlocks. Anyone who has had the misfortune of commuting on this Lane will testify what a great pain the ride is owing to the numerous potholes that punctate the road. I bet a ride on this stretch is akin to a ride on a ‘camel’s back’- just bumpy!
This treacherous Lane is just not a nuisance for motorists, it also constitutes 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 street can also damage a car’s alignment and suspension system. The city crews should take quick action to fix this pathetic stretch — thereby avoiding severe driving hazards and vehicle damage.
