Road potholes on state highways in and around Moodbidri are scheduled to be repaired by November, while potholes on roads maintained by the Public Works Department are expected to be fixed by December, a department official said at a traffic-management meeting.
PWD official Preetham gave the assurance during a meeting held at the Samaja Mandir in Moodbidri to discuss smoother traffic movement. The meeting was led by the Mangaluru City Police and the Regional Transport Office, and was attended by officials from several departments and local citizens.
The repair schedule separates the responsibility for road maintenance between state highways and PWD roads. The assurance comes as road conditions and ongoing highway work continue to affect travel between Moodbidri, Mangaluru and Karkala.
Participants also raised concerns about the speed of buses operating on the Moodbidri–Mangaluru–Karkala route. It was alleged at the meeting that some buses were being driven at high speed to meet scheduled journey times, creating risks for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians. Bus operators said ongoing work on the national highway meant that 50 minutes was not sufficient for a bus to travel from Mangaluru to Moodbidri. They suggested that the current journey-time limit be revised to one hour and 15 minutes to reduce pressure on drivers.
The meeting also discussed congestion around the bus stand. Participants said private vehicles were being parked irregularly inside the bus-stand premises, obstructing bus movement, and alleged that officials had not taken adequate action to resolve the problem.
Transport-permit issues between urban and rural jurisdictions were raised as another concern. Auto-rickshaw driver Bhaskar told officials that some autos were carrying between 15 and 20 students at a time. Police officials assured the meeting that action would be taken on the issue.
Former municipal member Koragappa alleged that Regional Transport Office officials were demanding bribes during vehicle inspections. The report did not record a response from the RTO to that allegation. Bus agent Satish Shetty asked officials not to permit public processions when they could obstruct vehicle movement.
Deputy Commissioner of Police K. Ravishankar of the traffic division of the Mangaluru City Police Commissionerate asked residents to cooperate with the police in addressing traffic problems. Moodbidri Police Inspector Rajendra B. and Sub-Inspector Prathibha also attended the meeting.
The immediate administrative milestones are the proposed completion of state-highway pothole repairs by November and PWD-road repairs by December. The authorities did not provide details in the report on the roads covered, the repair budget or the agency responsible for monitoring completion.
