16-wheel truck carries mining contraption to be assembled at BEML Mysuru

By Vinay Karekura

Mysuru: The ever-busy KRS Road in city was turned into bumper-to-bumper traffic this morning at 10.30 am as a 16-wheel truck was transporting a huge mining machinery from Bengaluru to Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) factory at Belawadi here. 

The driver took the wrong route and ended up on the KRS Road, clogging traffic for almost two hours. 

Traffic Police and some factory security personnel had a harrowing time in diverting the traffic and ensure a smooth vehicle flow as the truck had occupied most of the road. While a lone security guard was guiding the driver on his route to the factory, other factory security personnel and the Police manned the piling up traffic. 

To make matters worse, elections were being held for the Vikrant Tyres Workers Union this morning and workers and vehicles spilled on the road. The factory is located on the same road and there was a heavy rush as it was peak hours. Regular office-goers and students take the road during that hour.

On its route, the huge machine, mounted on the 16-wheeler, cut many tree branches, adding to the mess. Usually, such trucks are permitted on city roads only in the night when there is no traffic. But this truck ended up on the road bang opposite GSSSIETW, clogging the entire stretch. Only one person from BEML was deputed to guide the truck from Bengaluru to Mysuru. 

The truck, with the heavy machine, had left Dobbespet in Bengaluru last night and hit the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway. Today morning, the truck turned towards Paschimavahini and headed towards BEML factory. Instead of taking the straight Road from KRS Pump House towards Belawadi, the truck driver took a left by mistake, entering the KRS Road. 

BEML sources said the mining machine was being brought from Bengaluru to Mysuru BEML for assembling. Usually, such machine travels on the road in the night to avoid any traffic snarls. But there was some urgency to transport the machine and to make matters worse, the driver, unfamiliar with the road, took the wrong route. 

“We had taken Police permission to travel the 6-km stretch within city limits and this is a rare incident where such a huge machine is stuck in city traffic,” said a BEML employee on condition of anonymity. 

Sources said that once the machine is assembled at BEML, it will be sent to Singrauli Coalfield in Madhya Pradesh where millions of tonnes of coal is extracted every day.