Bad road: Children risk their lives by walking on rly tracks

Mangaluru: Villagers, including children in Aithur gram panchayat limits in Kadaba taluk in Dakshina Kannada, are forced to walk along a railway track to reach the main road, after the road connecting to their village was dug up for repairs, and is filled with slush. According to villagers, the road from Nellikatte to Otakaje in Aithur GP was motorable until June, but its condition worsened, after the local panchayat took up road repair works, when it was not necessary. The rain worsened the situation.
“The road was in a good condition, until the village panchayat took up the repair work. This unnecessary work on a good road turned into a nightmare. Currently, the road is unfit to even walk on, and has forced villagers and schoolchildren to walk on the railway tracks to reach their destination,” said local Suresh V. He said that they have brought this issue to the notice of the authorities, including deputy commissioner K V Rajendra.
The road repair work began in June. “We suggested that the panchayat cover the mud road with laterite stones, so that it does not turn slushy. The road has knee-deep slush,” said Suresh.
Otakaje village has about 60 houses, with several schoolchildren depending on the road. Jayanth T, an activist and resident of Kadaba, said that locals are forced to walk on the railway tracks, as the village road is in a bad shape. “About 20-30 children walk on the railway tracks, which is dangerous. Several passenger and goods trains ply on the tracks. The alternative route is a distance of 6-7 km, for the children to reach school. However, the shortest route to reach school is by walking for 2 km on the railway tracks, including over a railway overbridge, which is 30 ft in height. There are rubber plantations with solar fences along the route. The villagers and students cross the solar fence, and risk their lives,” he said, and demanded that the authorities look into the issue immediately.
Sujath K, PDO, Aithur GP, said that there is an alternative road available for the villagers and schoolchildren. The road is narrow, and we have repaired it recently, but no one is using it, he said. The Nellikatte to Otakaje road cannot be repaired immediately, due to rain.