Ray of hope for highway to go bypass in Bhatkal
05:37AM Wed 18 Sep, 2013
17 Sep 2013 / Rizwan Gangavaly / Bhatkallys News
Bhatkal: A new ray of hope has emerged for the highway to go bypass* in Bhatkal after the recent meet by members of Bhatkal Highway Development Committee with Union Cabinet Minister for Transport, Road and Highways, Mr Oscar Fernandez. In one of the crucial developments, Mr Fernandez has advised all construction work at the site meant for bypass highway to be temporarily halted.
Fernandez advised National Highway Chief Mr Mathur and Planning Commission Officer Mr Mishra to consider constructing a highway through bypass if widening the existing highway to four-lane will induce heavy losses to public.
The meeting took place at Kumar Krupa meeting hall in Bangalore in which Uttar Kannada district chief RV Deshpande was also present. Also present in the meeting were Tanzeem Chief Kazia Muzammil, Mohatisham Mande, Rajesh Naik, Venkatesh Prabhu, and Khan (lawyer). On this occasion, they presented Fernandez a memorandum detailing the losses that will be incurred in case the present highway is widened to four-lane and requested him to have a thought on it.
Assuring them of an action on this matter, Mr Fernandez said that a decision concerning highway will only be taken after complete findings are done on this matter. If widening of the present highway is apt, then that will be implemented else a bypass will be constructed.
Oscar Fernandez in the end advised to temporarily stop work on the site meant for bypass highway and requested the concerned officers to prepare a fresh plan on it.
*A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety.