Newskarnataka – Udupi

Udupi: A protest was staged by the “Heddari Santrastara Samithi” against the National Highway authorities of India and the government, on Wednesday November 20.

The organization conducted an agitation with reference to the NHAI move to construct the four-lane, which is having two lanes for traffic in each direction in a paved highway works at Padubidri, and discarding the bypass proposal.

Recently, the Union minister for transport Oscar Fernandes had said, “The decision of constructing a bypass would be left to the state government, as some section of the people wanted extension of road instead of bypass.”

In response to the protest, a bundh was organized although it received a mixed response while some people were for the proposal, some people preferred to be against it.

Only a few shopkeepers and public vehicles supported the bundh but shops were opened as usual at Kelagina Pete and Karkala road were open.

More than 100 people marched by to the Gram Panchayat office with a memorandum enlisting the demands. The memorandum was submitted to President Vijaya M Amin and Udupi grade II Tahsildar Gururaj.

In response to the memorandum Tahsildar assured to pass the issue on to the authority concerned and to the deputy commissioner. NHAI official Ramachandra was present on the occasion.

During the march as the auto rickshaw drivers of the area did not take part in the protest, the agitators shouted out slogans against the auto drivers as well. This in turn agitated the auto rickshaw drivers who later staged a protest in front of the police station demanding justice.

Finally, Inspector Ajmat Ali summoned both the groups and settled the matter.

Satrastara Samiti members Santhosh Kumar Shetty, Dr Y N Shetty, Dr N T Anchan, Y Gopal Shetty, Vishu Kumar Shetty, Y Sudheer Kumar, Ramesh Achar, Sampath Kumar, Laxmi Narayan, Rajaram, Srinath Heggde, Anil Kumar Shetty, James Dayan Andrade, Arun P K, Budan Saheb, Ganesh Shetty among others were present who took part in the protest.