Mangaluru: Former MLA and Congress leader J R Lobo accused Member of the Parliament (MP) Nalin Kumar Kateel of using the delays in construction of Pumpwell flyover for political mileage in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a press meet here on Monday, July 30, Lobo said, “Nalin accuses Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) of delaying the project by seeking to change the design of the flyover and delaying of the construction at Pumpwell. It is completely false. Neither I in the capacity of MLA nor the MCC ever intervened in the flyover construction work.”
Lobo challenged Nalin to prove the intervention of the MCC in the flyover construction. “Only the MP has control over the NHAI projects as it is under the control of the union government. By making false accusations, Nalin is trying to escape from his responsibilities,” he said.
Instead, the former MLA from Mangaluru South placed the onus of the delay on the MP. “Nalin completely failed to understand the problems of the people of Mangaluru. He never bothered to monitor the slow pace of the construction or put pressure on the NHAI officials to hasten the construction between the highway stretch between Kottara and Thokottu,” he added.
The construction of the flyover at Pumpwell began eight years ago. The all-important bottleneck on the NH 66 is yet to be completed. Long traffic jams are a common occurrence here.
Lobo also questioned the MP for submitting a memorandum to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari demanding increased funding for the flyover four years after he was elected as the representative. “I am surprised why was the MP keeping quiet for four years,” he said.
Turning his attention to the situation at the Nanthoor Circle, Lobo said that NHAI officials were still unsure whether to construct a flyover or an underpass there. “People are clueless as to what is going on at Nanthoor. The difficulties faced by people at the junction are mounting as each day passes,” he said.
He also announced that the Mangaluru South and North Congress Committees would hold a protest rally at Pumpwell on August 1 at 10 AM to demand early completion of the flyover construction.
