Bhatkal: Four years after floods, Chowtani residents still struggling with damages its caused to the roads

Bhatkal 22 July 2018: (Bhatkallys News Bureau) The road joining downtown with Chowtani locality of Bhatkal has made the headlines of local media reports several times for the poor conditions of road causing inconvenience to the motorists and residents to commute. Despite receiving enough attention of local social activists and several memorandums and applications being written to the administration the woes of the residents continues for the fourth continuous monsoon this season. Local social activist Abdul Jabbar Asadi now feels fed up with writing to the administration for a solution, but says he will not give up the fight unless new roads leads to their locality. Bhatkallys.com caught up with Abdul Jabbar Asadi regarding this issue where he explained, that the problem dates back to several years and the residents have been facing the difficulties before a new road was constructed nearly five years back but things turned for worst four years back when heavy downpour in the Taluka led to the flooding in rivers across the town including the Chowtani river. The water that fled out of the river on road resulting in the damages to the road and the woes of the residents have continued ever since. Bhatkallys.com spoke to TMC Chief Officer Venkatesh Navadu, who admitted to the poor conditions of the road in Chowtani and said the process of getting it solved it underway. He also assured Bhatkallys.com that the TMC will look into the matter soon and a appropriate solution to the problem will be taken after the end of monsoon. SIO Bhatkal secretary and a resident of Chowtani Sanaullah Asadi, added "We have been getting such 'assurances' every now and then, but no action plans follows it". It will be interesting to see if the TMC takes a serious look into the matter after the monsoon or this too turns out to be a mere 'assurance' by the TMC officials. (Bhatkallys News Bureau/ Ismail Zaorez)