Mangaluru: Despite constant downpour, work of second railway tunnel at Kulashekar was progressing at a brisk rate, till it came to a standstill following a landslide a week ago.

landslide at Kulashekar near the second railway tunnel construction

A huge portion of the earth along with the reinforcement has slid; leaving residents living near the mishap spot in a constant state of worry. The tunnel is being built by Southern Railway to facilitate doubling of the track.

The residents of the house along the road, several meters above the second tunnel that is likely to come up said that as a part of the reinforcement of earth, a thick steel mesh is spread. The worry is that during landslides, the mesh is likely to pull down larger area of earth. “The road width available at present for us to move is very narrow. It is neither comfortable nor safe,” said one of the residents.

Constant blasting of the rock has taken place ever since the project started and with every blast, which still continues, the residents fear for life.

“The railway officials have visited the houses in this area and have advised on what should be done in case of unexpected incident that happens after a blast. They have also put a sticker on the door of the house which reads ‘have visited’. We have been living here for more than a decade and we still want to live here. The railway authorities have said if any untoward incidents occur then we will have to vacate the house,” the resident said.

None of the engineers at the project office were present, when this reporter had been in person to clarify, and when asked for the contact number of Amarendera Kumar Singh, who is said to be the Project Manager, they said he has gone for lunch and said they have no knowledge of Project Manager’s mobile or land line number.