New bridge at Thithimathi to open after a month: Commuters to South Kodagu from Mysuru travel 80 kilometres extra

Mysuru: Commuters between Mysuru and Kodagu via Thithimathi are a harried lot as bus services on the stretch has been cancelled following the caving in of a make-shift bridge  that was built next to the new bridge that is being constructed. Though the makeshift bridge has been restored, heavy vehicles have been banned on the road.

Now the Public Works Department has stated that it will take over a month for the new bridge to be completed and for the heavy-vehicle traffic to be open.

The make-shift bridge that was constructed on the Balumane rivulet near the Balumane Coffee Estate at Thithimathi caved on June 14 bringing all vehicle movement to a grinding halt. The District Administration had swung into action and restored the bridge the very next day.

However, heavy vehicles, including KSRTC buses, were not allowed on the road that is full of slush. Heavy rain has also resulted in the overflowing of Balumane Rivulet. The Thithimathi Road is a crucial link to southern parts of Kodagu and even to Kerala.

Now, KSRTC buses from Mysuru to Virajpet, Gonikoppal, Balele, Ponnampet and Kutta have been diverted either via Gonikoppal-Pollibetta-Ghattahalla-Maldare-Periyapatna and Hunsur or Gonikoppal-Mayamudi-Balele-Karmad-Moorkal and Hunsur.

KSRTC authorities in Virajpet and Mysuru told Star of Mysore this morning that on an average over 60 buses come to South Kodagu from Bengaluru and Mysuru and as all the buses are diverted, they are reaching their destinations almost one-and-a-half hours late as they have to travel extra 80 kilometres.

Also, added to the misery of commuters, the Virajpet-Kerala Inter-State stretch via Makutta has been shut till July 12 and though both Karnataka and Kerala administration is working round-the-clock to restore the road, it will take at least a month for the traffic to open. More than 30 landslides have been reported on this single stretch with many parts of the road being washed away. Hundreds of trees have been uprooted bringing down electricity poles.

While people travelling to Kerala can take alternative routes via Manandawadi and H.D. Kote, the worst affected are school children and daily wage workers from Boodithittu, Alluru and Panchavalli who travel daily to Gonikoppal and other areas to earn a living. They cannot reach their workplace or schools on time as the buses are taking a detour.  Most of the school children are forced to walk a long way as even the short routes operated by the KSRTC Hunsur Division have been suspended. KSRTC officials from Mysuru told SOM that their drivers were trying their best to keep up the timings but the routes are cumbersome. “Our drivers navigate narrow routes instead of the main roads. How can a passenger expect to reach destinations on time,” a KSRTC official in Mysuru Rural Division said.

He added that there was no communication from the Public Works Department (PWD) on when the road will be cleared. “As soon as we receive the communication from the PWD we will start plying our buses,” he added.

Meanwhile, several commuters blamed the PWD for the mess. The department very well knew that it will rain and it is not a right time to take up new constructions. “Still, PWD officials and contractors went ahead in construction of the bridge and set up a make-shift bridge that is the reason for the present traffic diversion. Passengers are suffering the consequences of an illogical decision of the PWD,” a commuter said.

While the Virajpet Tahsildar’s office asked SOM to contact the PWD for an estimated time to complete the bridge works, PWD sources said that it would take at least a month for the new bridge to open. “We have filled the makeshift bridge with mud and stones so that it does not cave in again, work is being carried out to facilitate the movement of buses on the main bridge. Work on the pillars is complete and we will work on laying slabs,” an official said.