Kalladka Flyover, Road Projects on Track for 2025 completion

According to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, approximately 38% of the construction for the Kalladka Town flyover on Mangaluru-Bengaluru NH-75 is finished, with the entire project scheduled for completion by February 2025. Project director Abdulla Javed Azmi provided updates during a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting, stating that 18.6 km of the 48 km four-laning project between Addahole and BC Road on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru route (package-2) has been completed, excluding the Kalladka flyover. The remaining stretch is expected to be finished by November this year. The service road and drainage line work for the Kalladka flyover are underway, with completion anticipated before the onset of the monsoon. Additionally, the Kuloor bridge in Mangaluru City is set to be completed by June. The NHAI has proposed a vehicular overpass at Karnataka Polytechnic (KPT), awaiting approval for additional land. Another proposal for a vehicular overpass at Nanthoor junction is pending in court. Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, who chaired the meeting, announced the development of the 30km Ujire-Dharmasthala-Periyashanthi road stretch at a cost of Rs 6.13 billion. The Ujire to Dharmasthala stretch will be converted into a four-lane road using the hybrid annuity model (HAM), where the government initially pays 40% of the project cost to the contractor, with the remainder disbursed in installments over five years. The meeting also addressed delays in implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and incomplete multi-village drinking water schemes. Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat executive engineer reported 80% completion of the multi-village scheme at Moodbidri and Ulaibettu. Under JJM, water connections have been provided to 52,000 households, and work on an additional 40,000 households is in progress. The MP urged officials to expedite the multi-village drinking water schemes and JJM-related work.