NewsKarnataka-Moodbidri

Moodbidri : Villagers of Haudalu Kattadabailu staged a protest on Monday April 28 demanding the asphaltation of 1.8 km stretch of road between Haudalu Kattadabailu which is in a bad shape due to frequent movement of  tippers transporting jelly stones from a crusher unit named Padma Crusher located at Dekkal in Padukonaje.

On Monday the tipper movement came to a halt after the villagers obstructed their movement by digging a trench on the road leading to the crusher plant. Though funds were sanctioned for the asphaltation of the road under the Namma Grama Namma Raste Project,  the sanctioned grant was insuffice  as  the road required more asphaltation due to its utterly bad state. The works were thus not taken up. Even the  grants sanctioned by the Tourism Department for the road were withheld owing to frequent movement of heavily loaded tippers.

The villagers alleged that the crusher owner who had earlier assured to bear the additional cost incurred towards asphaltation later  failed to keep up promise.

The repeated appeal of the villagers to various authorities also went unheeded, the villagers said and added that all of them were in support of the crusher owners.

The villagers adopted an adamant stand that they will not allow  the movement of tippers  on the road. Later the Panchayat President Pradeep Kumar, PDO Prem Singh,  and others  held talks with the protestors.