Mangaluru : The Dakshina Kannada District Committee of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) urged the Mangaluru City Corporation to ensure speedy completion of the ongoing twin Railway Under Bridge (RuB) work at Jeppu-Mahakalipadpu. Delay in the work is causing severe hardship to thousands of people.

On June 12, Sunil Kumar Bajal, Pramila M. Devdiga, Yogish Jeppinamogaru and other party leaders submitted a memorandum to MCC Commissioner C.L. Anand in this regard. The party said that ever since work on the RuB started about three years ago, residents of Ullal, Thokkottu, Jeppinamogaru, Bajal, Konaje, Talapady and those from Kasargod district in neighbouring Kerala, were put to severe hardship. While two-wheelers were allowed to ply via the existing Railway Level Crossing at Mahakalipadpu negotiating an uneven and narrow stretch of the road, all other vehicles were forced to take a detour via Pumpwell, according to the CPI-M.

Communist Party of India (CPI-M) Dakshina Kannada district committee leaders, including Sunil Kumar Bajal and Pramila M. Devadiga, submitted a memorandum to Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner C.L. Anand seeking speedy completion of the Jeppu-Mahakalipadpu twin Railway Under Bridge work, in Mangaluru on June 12, 2024.

The Jeppu Patna-Mahakalipadpu-Morgan’s Gate stretch of the road, which is being widened to four lanes by Mangaluru Smart City Limited, was the thoroughfare for thousands of people to reach the central business district via Mangaladevi for their livelihood. The MCC failed to provide an alternative road to vehicles thereby forcing motorists to take a long detour, wasting considerable amount of time and fuel.

Besides movement of goods vehicles, the road also facilitated movement of seven city buses that ferried the common man. MCC did not even repair the narrow stretch of the road presently being used by two-wheeler riders. Autorickshaws cannot take this narrow stretch of the road. People, particularly the working class, depending upon buses have to get down at Jeppu Patna and walk more than a kilometre to reach Morgan’s Gate for their onward journey.

The CPI-M wants the MCC, as the civic authority of the city, to direct the authorities concerned to hasten the construction work so as to alleviate the grievances of thousands of people. The leaders want the MCC to provide an alternative road till the RuB work is completed.