Mysuru: The concerned citizens of Mysuru and a few NGOs including Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP), Kukkarahalli Kere Ulisi Samithi, Let’s do it!, Clean Mysuru Foundation, Swachha Mysuru, Green Mysuru, Mysuru Memes, Wild Mysuru and Samarpana Foundation, are going to form a Human Chain and stage a Silent Protest without obstructing traffic, at 11 am at Kalamandira Main Entrance, on Hunsur Road tomorrow (Oct. 22).
The protest is against the move of the District Administration and PWD to widen and straighten the road that curves near Jaladarshini Guest House on Hunsur Road. The activists say that this project is unnecessary. The tagline of the protest is ‘Cut Speed Not Trees.’
According to MGP member Ashvini Ranjan, there are less expensive options available to save trees and tax-payers’ money. He told Star of Mysore, “I have been driving on this road for over 50 years and never once felt the probability of an accident. Unless of course, one exceeds the prescribed speed limit of 40 kms on the road.”
He said that a properly designed road hump or rumble strips at the beginning of the curve will reduce vehicular speeds considerably.
Rs. 12 lakh enough
A Senior Engineer, who had worked in the PWD, speaking to Star of Mysore on condition of anonymity said, “The project cost of road straightening and widening is pegged at Rs. 12 crore. However, not more than Rs. 12 lakh needs to be spent on this project. All it requires is to apply the super elevation formula. At the curve of Kukkarahalli Lake junction, if the road is elevated then the speed automatically reduces. The black spot or the accident spot will be a thing of the past.”
In fact, the super elevation formula has been adopted on the Ring Roads. “It is criminal that nearly 400 ft x 15 ft area of Kukkarahalli Lake will have to be sacrificed for this project. Also, the compound of the DC’s bungalow, Jaladarshini Guest House and the Regional Commissioner’s Office have all to be pushed inside. Added to this is the loss of trees. It is high time the Government shelves the project immediately instead of going ahead with the project with a vengeance,” said an Engineer and a road expert.
Our state government thrives on corruption. 12 crores is a lot of money to just fix a small part of the road! The root cause of the problem is the angle of banking provided for that turn! You don’t need to be an rocket scientist to find out! Ride on a scooter or motor cycle and drive at 20 km speed in that turn and you can feel that you are losing the balance! Probably they want to do another shabby job and use 10 percent of that money and rest going to the ministers pocket!i bet there must be a DKShi or similar corrupt minister who must be in it!
Karnataka had produced fantastic civil engineers for 7 decades who are highly regarded in every part of the world! Yet, we have the horrible roads, thanks to ours censure state Governments! When Siddu came, we had a lot of hopes, but he too just became a slave of Sonia and collections agent for the high command!
It is a crying shame that none of the opposition parties have come forward to oppose this idiotic, environmentally unfriendly, corruption ridden project to straighten a road when less expensive solution is available. It does not require a genius to figure out that straightening mere 450 meters of road does not need Rs. 12 chores unless a significant portion of it is given to political leaders and bureaucrats connected with this project. In fact it is the driving force for this shameless project. Our politicians dare to take up such projects because they know Mysoreans are indifferent to such daylight robberies by their leaders and they can pretty much do what they want to. It would be interesting to find out how many will take time to participate in tomorrow’s protest. I am hoping I will be proven wrong and thousands will participate as they did in Bengaluru to protest against the steel bridge. I wish the protest all the success tomorrow.