Workers Ignorance! ‘Smart Mangaluru’ has Turned into a Dusty & Muddy ‘Smart City’?
Mangaluru: I have said it in the past and will say it again that, one thing for sure, that you’ll all agree with me is that-Digging of roads/streets/bye-lanes will never stop in Mangaluru no matter what- and we have seen it and will see in future too. Without proper planning new roads are constructed, and after a while, the new roads are dug to lay cables/drainage/footpath etc- and this is the present case that you’ll see at every nook and corner of the so-called “SMART CITY”-Mangaluru. There is absolutely no proper planning at all, when any development work is carried out. The City is lacking “Smart People” to change this coastal and education hub into a Smart City.
But it’s a mess already out there, and traffic and pedestrians are facing the brunt of it. In most cases, even if the work has been completed the contractors and laborers have been least bothered in cleaning up the mess they created due to digging and what not. For example, look at the newly constructed Old Pumpwell road which runs adjacent to Fr Muller Hospital towards Kankanady Pumpwell, is already a disaster, with mud, rocks, dust etc filling the area. Motorists are having a tough time wading through all this mess, especially the two-wheeler riders who can skid anytime- and it has happened quite a few time, the riders getting hurt. But does anyone care- I guess not?
Yet another road which is in shambles in the road in front of Urwa Church/Lady hill leading towards Urwa market- due to the recent construction of drainage/footpath, the workers have left behind a muddy situation, which has created safety hazards for the pedestrians and two-wheeler riders inhaling the dust particles. I only wish my media friends who take this road every single day to reach the Pathrika Bhavan/Press club located on this road could have highlighted this issue, rather than always Team Mangalorean-it would have sent a strong message to the concerned officials. Oh well- I can’t say anything more.
While the digging work is in progress pedestrians are having a tough time to walk on the footpaths or cross the roads. There are interlock bricks scattered all over and dug up mud is blocking pedestrians movement. Pedestrians are bearing all these inconveniences due to this mess and also there has been traffic snarls which is also an added nightmare. When it comes to the SAFETY of the motorists or pedestrians Mangaluru City Corporation Officials nor the District Administration Authorities nor the City Police Department honchos are LEAST bothered about it- and their attitude still continues, while we look at the various safety-related civic and traffic issues. The Sand/Gravel/Mud/Grit ridden Mangaluru City Roads, are putting the lives of motorists in dire danger, especially Two-Wheeler riders.
Look around the City, wherever there has been a construction of drainage/footpath etc, there is always a mess left behind, comprising of sand, mud, tiny stones etc. It may seem the lowest in the priority of MCC or for that matter, the company namely Antony Waste Handling Ltd, to clean it up, using one of their mega road sweeping truck. But it seems like no one is doing their job, and in the meantime, two-wheeler riders have been skidding and breaking their limbs and bones, due to the utter negligence of the Civic body.
Being into a media profession myself and those who are familiar in this field would know that this requires a lot of travel, in order to cover the events and stories. And 95% of our travel as a journo is on road, and I use my scooter for my conveyance. But something that always scares me is when I move around the City on my two-wheeler, these hazardous roads could take away the lives of motorists, especially two-wheeler riders. And then there are those reckless drivers and riders who don’t even think of their kith and kin at home, who speed over the said limit, and put their lives and others lives in harm.
Sand, gravel and other mud particles have made many parts of the City roads slippery, usually at the curve or turning spots-resulting in many riders skid and fall. The entire city looks dusty and in some way it also adds to the stress to everyone. Sources reveal that the most frequent collision type were skid or rollover making up 70% of cases. And when our roads are covered with sand etc which is not noticeable at night {since most of the areas in the City have street lights which don’t work half the time}, and this is where we see two-wheeler accidents.
Then we have our young “stunt” riders just flying around on their bikes, some wearing nothing but sunglasses. What if a stray dog runs across? or there is sand or mud dust on the road? And in a city like ours, there is always a possibility of someone walking out of the blue and crossing the road-then these high speed young two-wheelers are always at risk. There have been quite a few accidents when riders have lost control and fallen off from their bikes due to these sand/grit ridden roads- but since no one is complaining nor they get treatment at hospital, the city officials wouldn’t know about these hazardous roads.
Now that these roads are covered with mud, sand, grit etc, it will be a long long time before they are fully restored to the original condition- and that has been the situation in the past and will also be in future too? In conclusion, it’s about time that MCC officials and traffic police take quick action and see that these hazardous roads covered with sand/mud/grit are cleaned off, before few more accidents take place. And also warn the contractors/laborers to clean up the area once the work is completed. Hope the concerned authorities will do the needful-Thank You!