KARWAR: Senior IAS officer Ritesh Kumar Singh has said that he had no role in the closure or re-opening of the Kumta-Sirsi highway in Uttara Kannada and that the allegations made against him by Ports Minister Mankal Vaidya are baseless.
Singh, who is Principal Secretary, the Department of School Education and Literacy, and district in-charge secretary of Uttara Kannada, was responding to the minister’s allegation that he was a “settlement officer”.
Singh said, “The decision to close the road was made by the district administration, based on recommendations by NHAI, and the matter has not been escalated as district in-charge secretary.”
Explaining the status of the Kumta-Sirsi road, about which the minister had mocked him, Singh said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken up work on the Belekeri/Kumta to Sirsi highway (NH-766E), specifically for the construction of bridges and completion of the road in the ghat sections.
In view of this, NHAI submitted a request to the deputy commissioner on June 18, 2024, seeking permission to close the highway temporarily to expedite pending work. The deputy commissioner, in an order dated June 25, 2024, granted permission to close the highway from October 15, 2024, to February 25, 2025.
The order also suggested alternative routes for public convenience. Subsequently, on October 18, NHAI requested a revised closure period from November 15, 2024, to March 25, 2025, due to weather conditions affecting the project’s progress. However, the district administration has asked NHAI to proceed with work as per the original permission granted on June 25, 2024.