Mysuru: After the over-enthusiastic Kodagu District Administration ordered chopping and pruning the branches of more than 100 fully-grown trees leaning on the Madikeri-Bhagamandala Road on July 17 to ensure the safety of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy for his 24-hour visit to the district on July 19, the Mandya District Administration has gone a step ahead to close the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway for seven hours to make way for the CM today.
The 50-km stretch of the Highway between Maddur and Srirangapatna, that is being upgraded to National Highway 275, will be closed from 2 pm to 9 pm today for the Janata Dal (Secular) programme at Sir M. Visvesvaraya District Stadium at the heart of Mandya where Kumaraswamy is holding a ‘thanksgiving’ rally to thank voters for electing JD(S) candidates from all the seven Assembly constituencies in Mandya district.
The decision to close the busy Highway where there is perpetual high traffic density is bound to cause traffic chaos and inconvenience the commuters who are heading towards Mysuru and Bengaluru.
They are bound to miss their flights and trains as they have to go round-about to reach their destinations. There will be immense pressure on the other roads and patients taken in ambulances will have a tough time in reaching hospitals on time.
More than one lakh people are expected to participate in the rally from different parts of Mandya and hundreds of special vehicles including buses and maxi-cabs have been arranged to ferry passengers.
According to a communiqué from the Department of Information and Public Relations, Mandya district, vehicles from Bengaluru will not be allowed on the Highway beyond T.B. Cross Circle at Maddur. Commuters have to reach Mysuru by passing through Kalamuddana Doddi, Malavalli, and Bannur. The R.P. Road in Mandya that is a one-way has been converted into a two-way road for today.
Those coming from Mysuru will be diverted at Karighatta Junction via Arakere. They can reach the Highway via Arakere, Bannur, Malavalli and Kalamuddana Doddi, the release said. However, people can directly reach Bannur from Mysuru, instead of going via Karighatta and Arakere as it would be time-consuming.
The decision of closing the crucial Highway and diversion of traffic has not gone down well with people. Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Nagesh, an office-goer in Mandya said that the link between Bengaluru and Mysuru via Mandya will be snapped from 2 pm to 9 pm.
“People will be severely inconvenienced and patients may die as they cannot reach the hospitals on time. Last November, the Mandya Police had made a pregnant woman to walk for over 600 metres as the Mandya Main Road was blocked for the then Chief Minister Siddharamaiah’s cavalcade to pass smoothly. Now, it is the turn of Mandya District Administration to display highhandedness to please the political class,” he said. Meanwhile, heavy Police bandobust has been made in Mandya for the CM’s visit. There are more than 1,700 Policemen to guard Sir M. Visvesvaraya District Stadium where CM Kumaraswamy is addressing the rally and at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam where he is offering baagina to River Goddess Cauvery.
This post was published on July 20, 2018 6:45 pm