Mangaluru: Activist sweeps road to protest against unscientific work

MANGALURU: Alleging apathy of officials of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) and Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL) in the execution of development works at various places in the city, social worker Gerard Towers staged a unique protest, by sweeping the road near Bendoor Cross Junction on Saturday.
Towers said that he wanted to protest in a unique way so that officials will be made aware of the problems faced by the public, due to the unscientific road and other development works being taken up in the city. By sweeping the road near Bendoor Cross Junction, he removed all the gravel and construction debris that was found dumped on the road, that had been dug up by contractors, during various development works.
“Four major roads join at the Bendoor Cross Junction, where a hospital, educational institutions, commercial complexes, residential buildings and horticulture department office are located. The road dug up for the development work was filled with gravel, instead of concrete mix. The area has been causing inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians, as gravel was scattered on the road. Schoolchildren and the elderly are facing difficulties due to this,” Towers said.
He added that water has been stagnating in the area when it rains, and when vehicles ply on the road, muddy water splashes on pedestrians.
“The authorities have been digging roads for various development work, at many places in the city. Large pits and heaps of construction debris are a common sight in the city. They are spending people’s money lavishly on various projects. They have been taking up various Smart City projects together, and not completing them on time. As a result, most of the roads are in bad shape. Though it is mandatory for the contractor to put up a board, with details of the project and contact numbers, this rule is not being followed. The administration should not allow this unscientific method of development to continue. Contractors should be warned strictly, not to cause inconvenience to people while taking up work,” Towers said.