Mangaluru: At Valencia in Mangaluru, the concrete beautification drive is on-going. This work includes road widening, concrete drainage and two-laning a double road with a divider and street lights. The work is in progress and is nearing completion in some areas. What concerns the public, apart from the monsoon water not reaching the ground water table, is the lack of care for public safety while undertaking this work. There seem to be no cautionary boards or barricades where roads are dug up and more interestingly, the concrete that has just been laid, has been dug up again.

Near the School of Social work, a portion of the road was left unconcretised as a drain was being built. Now that the drain is complete, they have concretised a portion of the road but, for some unknown reason, they have dug up the just-laid concrete road. The dug-up portion extends into the turn on the road next to Fatima Retreat house and has already seen two or three vehciles getting stuck in the rut as they attempt to turn onto the road as the back tyres have no place to manouver. A broad turn, especially for SUVs is difficult as on the front right, the drain is open! No bariers, no notices… nothing! People walking on the drain-cum-footpath too face a hazardous future, seeing that there are open sections in between.

Now you see it, now you don’t – thats the story of the concrete roads and drains in Mangaluru. Over the last couple of years, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has been aggressively concretising the roads and drains – ostensibly to prevent erosion druing the monsoon showers and repeated reasphalting, as also to provide a robust drainage network to manage the monsoon waters.

On the face of it, it seems to be a good idea – beauty above the beast below – full of wires, cables and in some cases, drains running accross the roads. However, there have been many occasions when this concrete has had to be broken to correct the issues that arise with the cables etc. The concretisation without adequate drain planning, has resulted in water accumulating on the roads. While the recent floods can be attributed to the unusual rainfall, the haphazard concretisation probably had a hand in it as well.

In the midst of all this activity, public safety is also being neglected. It would be appropriate, if it is done in sections with alternative routes available and compeleted in all respects, before the next sector is taken up. However, with different contractors taking up different works, the public is left with stones – literally. Will the concerned sit up and take notice?

When reached for a comment on the issue, Valencia’s corporator, Jacintha Alfred said, “As the assembly elections approached, we couldn’t concentrate on the work and hence, it was delayed. I have asked the officers to complete the work as soon as possible but, due to the rains it got delayed again.” She also added that she would speak to the concerned engineer and ask them to set up cautionary sign boards and barricades at the spot where the work is going on, and also see that day-to-day life is not disturbed.