Kushalnagar: Heavy vehicle (goods vehicles) movement on the Mysuru-Bantwal National Highway (National Highway 275) on the Madikeri-Sullia stretch has been banned after soil caved in on a road linking Jodupala and Second Monnangeri that had witnessed massive landslides in 2018 and 2019. As such, hundreds of goods trucks that have left Mysuru are stranded in Madikeri in the surroundings of General K.S. Thimayya Circle. 

Heavy rain that lashed across the region for the last four days resulted in the loosening of the soil. The road was repaired recently and now a portion of it has collapsed. The weatherman has forecast more rains in the next two to three days and as such the Kodagu District Administration has banned the movement of heavy goods vehicles. 

Local villagers say that the Mysuru-Mangaluru stretch would have to be closed for months together like in 2018 and 2019 if the road further caves in. Even movement of light vehicles would be difficult if the situation continued, they reasoned. 

Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has put up barricades and has started repairs of the road. Officers said that they have a target of completing the road restoration before the monsoon sets in. Villagers have apprised the NHAI authorities that the ground beneath the road has loose soil and as such, any amount of road laying works would be superficial in nature and would not work. 

NHAI is also undertaking the works to construct a retaining wall to prevent mud from sliding and this work is expected to be completed in another 20 to 25 days. These repair works notwithstanding, now there are fears of rain intensifying, causing more damage. “It will take 20 to 25 days for the retaining wall works to be completed and it is not advisable for heavy vehicles to move on the road,” said H.P. Chandrappa, Assistant Executive Engineer, NHAI.

Virajpet MLA K.G. Bopaiah visited the spot last Friday and asked the NHAI officials to speed up the work. “The storm water drains constructed beside the road have collapsed and  water is flowing on the road and as such, the road has caved in due to seepage. I have directed the National Highway officials to repair the stretch immediately and also identify an alternate route,” he said. 

Alternatively, the goods trucks from Mysuru can travel towards Hassan, Bisleghat, Gundya and reach Mangaluru. However, the fate of the trucks that have already landed in Madikeri is not known. If the condition worsens, they have to take the roundabout Somwarpet route to reach Hassan and Mangaluru.