Bantwal: The local residents of Kuddupadav, near here on Sunday August 4, staged protest by planting saplings of plantains on the pot-holes of Kuddupadav – Balashettymule Road that was re-laid under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, urging the authorities to restore the deplored road at the earliest.
Kuddupadav – Balashettymule Road of 8.74 kilometers distance was re-laid by Mangalore based contractor at a cost of Rs 399.55 lac, on the recommendation of the former Mangalore MP D V Sadanand Gowda. The road works were executed under the supervision of Mangalore project sub-division executive engineer M N Narasimha Raju, assistant executive engineer T S Lokesh and assistant engineer B Uday Kukar during 2009.
The local residents are aggrieved over the deplored road within 4 years of completion. Despite the pleas to repair the road with the concerned authorities, it has gone into deaf ears. At this backdrop, the local residents staged a unique protest, by planting the saplings of plantains on the potholes, flowers and lifting an auto rickshaw that stuck in one amongst deepest pot-holes.
The protesters urged the authorities to re-asphalt the withered road and not to clear the bills of contractor for sub-standard works.