MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel on Monday threatened to demolish the tollgate on NH 75 near Suratkal if the work on the Pumpwell flyover is not completed within a week.
He was speaking at a review meeting on Monday. Kateel, who is under fire from political rivals and citizen groups for the delay in completion of the flyover work even a decade after it started, took pains to explain that he is not responsible for the delay.
However, with the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls likely to come into effect any time, the MP set another deadline to the National Highways Authority of India which is the nodal agency implementing the project.He said if it fails this time, he will take the lead in forcibly shutting down the tollgate and in the same breadth threatened to get the tollgate demolished.
“I have done everything possible to complete the work which includes meeting the minister concerned. Now, I have no other option but to destroy the tollgate. I am even ready to go to jail for that,” he said. However, this is not the first time that Kateel has threatened to close down the tollgate.Several offiials came under fire from the MP who was apparently chairing the last review meeting during his current tenure as an MP.
PWD (NH) Executive Engineer Subraya Holla was pulled up for allegedly not inviting him or the BJP MLAs for launch of road works. “We follow up and make things happen. But you don’t invite us for launch of roads built under Calamity Relief Fund and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. It is my right. You get salary from government and not from any political party. If you can’t work properly, then take a transfer and go,” he said.
Shiradi Ghat works to start before monsoon
NHAI officials informed the meeting that the work on laying 13km permanent road on Shiradi Ghat will begin before the onset of the monsoon. Several stretches of the newly laid ghat road were washed away during the last monsoon after which temporary works were carried out. Also, officials said work on Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway between BC Road and Gundya — which has been suspended — will resume soon as permission required to move electricity poles and trees has been granted.