Mangaluru: Project raises concerns over road construction

30 Sep 2024 CW Team

Before 2021, the road from Clock Tower to A B Shetty Circle and further to Hamilton Circle facilitated two-way traffic, with a road divider in place to ensure smooth flow. As the city bus stand expanded from Hamilton Circle to Rao and Rao Circle, this stretch was made one-way. Consequently, the road from Rao and Rao to Clock Tower was also converted to one-way. During a meeting of the Municipal Corporation Council (MCC) on August 14, 2021, it was resolved to designate the Clock Tower–A B Shetty Circle–Hamilton Circle road as one-way, a decision supported by the then city police commissioner, N Shashikumar.

Following the implementation of the one-way system, numerous issues emerged. Vehicles entering the stretch were required to make a full round to exit, leading to severe congestion between Rao and Rao and Hamilton Circle. Complaints from the public and traders were prevalent from the beginning. The increased speed on RTO Road complicated traffic police efforts to manage a rising number of accidents. One side of the road became a makeshift parking lot for private vehicles, and illicit trade thrived. Consequently, the administration has decided to revert the road to two-way traffic.

A local trader expressed concern, stating that Rs 200 million had been spent on the Clock Tower–A B Shetty Circle stretch in the name of the Smart City project. He pointed out that reverting the road to two-way would require additional public expenditure. He questioned the administration's decisions, wondering about the point of having the MCC and engineers involved in Smart City projects if this cycle of changes continues.

In a recent MCC meeting, DCP Dinesh Kumar remarked that the previous two-way traffic system from Clock Tower to Hamilton Circle had been more effective. He noted that the one-way system had resulted in numerous problems and added that the footpath, previously widened for one-way traffic, would need to be narrowed again to accommodate the return to two-way traffic.

A prime example of a road seemingly designed for demolition is the Smart Road stretch from Clock Tower to A B Shetty Circle in the city. Three years prior, the road from Clock Tower to Hamilton Circle at State Bank was open to two-way traffic. However, due to widespread objections, the decision has been made to revert the road to two-way traffic, resulting in a significant waste of taxpayers' money. Before 2021, the road from Clock Tower to A B Shetty Circle and further to Hamilton Circle facilitated two-way traffic, with a road divider in place to ensure smooth flow. As the city bus stand expanded from Hamilton Circle to Rao and Rao Circle, this stretch was made one-way. Consequently, the road from Rao and Rao to Clock Tower was also converted to one-way. During a meeting of the Municipal Corporation Council (MCC) on August 14, 2021, it was resolved to designate the Clock Tower–A B Shetty Circle–Hamilton Circle road as one-way, a decision supported by the then city police commissioner, N Shashikumar. Following the implementation of the one-way system, numerous issues emerged. Vehicles entering the stretch were required to make a full round to exit, leading to severe congestion between Rao and Rao and Hamilton Circle. Complaints from the public and traders were prevalent from the beginning. The increased speed on RTO Road complicated traffic police efforts to manage a rising number of accidents. One side of the road became a makeshift parking lot for private vehicles, and illicit trade thrived. Consequently, the administration has decided to revert the road to two-way traffic. A local trader expressed concern, stating that Rs 200 million had been spent on the Clock Tower–A B Shetty Circle stretch in the name of the Smart City project. He pointed out that reverting the road to two-way would require additional public expenditure. He questioned the administration's decisions, wondering about the point of having the MCC and engineers involved in Smart City projects if this cycle of changes continues. In a recent MCC meeting, DCP Dinesh Kumar remarked that the previous two-way traffic system from Clock Tower to Hamilton Circle had been more effective. He noted that the one-way system had resulted in numerous problems and added that the footpath, previously widened for one-way traffic, would need to be narrowed again to accommodate the return to two-way traffic.

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