BYNDOOR: The apathy of the National Highway authority and unscientific, snail-paced execution of work have turned the crucial Byndoor-Kollur road into a massive slush track. Frustrated over the severe inconvenience caused at Golihole and Areshiroom, local residents and commuters staged a unique protest by planting banana saplings and tree shoots right in the middle of the muddy highway.

Unscientific Execution & Damaged Diversions: At locations where new bridges are being constructed along the route, the contracting firm built temporary diversion roads. However, due to continuous vehicular movement and inadequate soil stabilization, kilometers of these alternative paths have completely dissolved into deep mire. Last month, during the initial spell of monsoon rains, this diversion was washed away. Despite the issue recurring four to five times since then, no preventive engineering measures have been deployed.

Taxis Refuse Commute: Hundreds of tourist taxis and private vehicles travel daily from Byndoor to the Mookambika Temple in Kollur via this highway. With vehicles frequently getting stuck in the thick mud, taxi operators are now flatly refusing to accept bookings for this route, directly affecting local tourism and daily transit.

Failure of Administrative Oversight: The critical state of the road had previously been brought to the attention of the local MLA and MP. Despite high-level coordination meetings where elected representatives strictly warned department officials to secure the stretch, no groundwork has materialized. Demanding accountability, locals have urged the District Commissioner (DC) to intervene immediately, penalize the negligence of the contract company, and oversee emergency restoration work.

GangolliNews