MANGALURU: Shiradi Ghat will be opened for all kinds of passenger vehicles, including multi-axle buses, from Wednesday (October 3). The ghat stretch, an important link between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, has been shut for buses for more than a month now owing to landslides. With the closure of the ghat, ordinary and multi-axle buses were travelling via Charmady ghat and Kudremukh respectively.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said the decision to open the ghat stretch for buses was taken after a discussion with his Hassan counterpart Rohini Sindhuri. Police personnel and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) staff will be deployed round-the-clock at nine spots affected by landslides in Dakshina Kannada district to regulate traffic. The road will be closely monitored for two weeks after which a call will be taken on whether to allow goods vehicles or not.
Senthil indicated that the ghat stretch is not fully-safe as the major damage caused by the landslides is at downhill of the ghat where half of the 9-m road width has collapsed. Signage will be put up along the ghat asking people not to overspend.Once Shiradi Ghat is fully-restored, the DC said Charmady Ghat will be closed for traffic to take up restoration works. Charmady Ghat, which is seeing heavy traffic owing to the closure of Shiradi for buses and trucks, is severely damaged.
The district administration has decided to rope in Thangavelu, a retired IISc faculty, who has expertise in recognising fault lines on roads. “He will identify possible spots that may fail. He will start his job in a week. This is in addition to another IISc team being employed by NHAI for the same job,” the DC said.