Mangalore lawyer slaps notice for bad upkeep of national highway

October 21, 2013

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TNN

MANGALORE: Travelling on bad roads and most of us would probably mutter and curse the authorities concerned under our breaths. But not S S Khazi, city-based advocate and a permanent resident of Someshwar-Uchil, who promptly served notices on them and also sought damages for the agony that he is forced to undergo for being forced to travel on such roads. The road in question is the Talapady-Pumpwell stretch of National Highway 66.His daily travel from Someshwar to the city, some 15-km away where his office is located, proved to be an excruciating experience for this advocate. His grouse is the fact that the bad condition of the road is the failure on part of the National Highways Authority of India, ministry of road transport and highways and Navayuga Udupi Tollway Pvt Ltd that is carrying out four-laning of this stretch to ensure optimal upkeep of the road during construction.

Citing section 5 of the National High Act, 1956, read with section 11 and 12 of the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988, Khazi said the authorities concerned have responsibility to ensure proper repair of NH 66.

Khazi pointed out that since the last three years, maintenance and repair work on the NH is almost non-existent and even the repair work carried out is shoddy at most places.

The work on four-laning that started in 2010 is crawling, Khazi said, adding that the “repairs” carried out has resulted in more bouncy and dangerous surface. The condition of the road has also prevented him from using the car, Khazi said, pointing out to the difficulty that emergency and public transport vehicles face in traversing this stretch.

Taking umbrage to assurance given by NHAI official that the people can experience beautiful four-lane road in next six to eight months, Khazi said the immediate concern is non-maintenace of the old road. Demanding that all concerned make the highway motorable, Khazi sought a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for failing their legal duty or risk further civil and criminal proceedings. He also sought Rs 5,000 as cost of the legal notice.

Source-http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com