GADAG : In what can be called a tragedy waiting to happen, two teenagers died after their bike fell into a 30-foot deep gorge on Nagavi-Beladadi Road in Gadag district around 8 pm on Tuesday. Absence of signboards and streetlights is being blamed for the incident.
The deceased are Manjunath Madar (19) and Basavaraj Javalabenchi (17), both from Lakkundi village. They were on their way to Yelishirund from Lakkundi village to join a birthday party of Manjunath’s nephew. They were also carrying a cake with them.
As the news of the incident spread, local villagers and farmers gathered at the spot in the wee hours and
staged a protest.Gadag district’s Nagavi village received heavy rain in the recently following which a portion of the road between Nagavi and Beladadi caved in, creating a huge pit -- more than 30-foot deep.
A Gadag Rural police team visited the spot and shifted the bodies of the victims to Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences around 12 noon, for the postmortem. “We have repeatedly told the authorities that many people from Gadag and other parts travel to Venkatapur, Shirahatti and other villages via this route. Daily commuters are aware of the damaged road but outsiders are clueless about the condition of the road,” said a villager.
Gadag Assistant Commissioner Annapurna Mudukammanavar and Tahsildar Kishan Kalal visited the spot. “We have instructed officials to repair the road and put up some sign boards and barricades to avoid such incidents,”said Annapurna.