By Vinay Karekura

Mysuru: Huge trucks parked on the busy KRS Road have become a stumbling block for the ongoing road development works. The pothole-ridden KRS Road and its adjoining roads are being repaired at a cost of Rs. 39 crore by the Public Works Department and the works have already begun from J.K. Tyre to Pump House Circle. 

Rs. 10 crore has been granted to this 3.8-kilometre stretch and earth-movers are digging the road to make it a full double road with a median at the centre and box drains on both the sides. It is a double road from Mogarahalli to Manti and now the same road is being extended till the Pump House. As the works have begun, the road contractors are facing problems from parked trucks. 

Waiting for clearance

These trucks come from other States carrying goods, vehicles and industrial materials and some are so huge that they have 12 to 16 wheels. “Once the trucks arrive, they are straight away parked on the KRS Road and they wait till they get clearance for goods delivery. It might take at least three to four days for them to move to their destinations. Sometimes they are parked on this stretch for weeks,” said a road engineer who was supervising digging works. 

Contractors told Star of Mysore that these truck drivers go to Mysuru city to spend their time and leave their trucks locked on the road. “They return late in the night and we do not have their contact numbers and there is no way they can be contacted. Sometimes we go in search of them near dhabas and at times truck drivers are in an inebriated state and are not in a position to remove the trucks from the parked places,” he added. 

Thousands of commuters use this road every day to reach Mysuru, Srirangapatna, Ranganathittu, Mandya and Bengaluru and during rush hour it is a mess with heavy traffic, parked trucks and ongoing road works. 

Communication gap

Another contractor told SOM that the truck drivers do not know the local language and we do not understand Hindi. “As such, it is very difficult to converse with them. And sometimes they are agitated even if we tell them politely to remove the vehicles. The Police must make some alternative arrangements for the trucks to park,” he said. 

There are instances of truck tyres getting punctured due to the heavy weight it carries. In such a situation, cranes are brought from the factories to shift the goods. This is one more problem, say commuters. 

“KRS Road has turned into a parking zone with no control over vehicles. This is unacceptable. Police impose hefty fines for other vehicles for parking in a no-parking zone but they spare these trucks. Sometimes, two trucks block a road simultaneously and there is no space for even a cycle to pass,” said Naveen, a regular commuter.