Udupi : Social worker Nithyananda Olakadu staged a unique protest by symbolically swimming in potholes of Malpe-Manipal national highway 66. on Tuesday, August 8,

The road from Syndicate circle to MIT Manipal is completely damaged. Vehicles moving with very difficulty in this road. Potholes are a recurring phenomenon after the monsoon on this road. One reason is that there are no proper roadside drains in the area resulting in large pools of stagnant water on the road.

This stretch of road is important as it provides access to many educational institutions and hospitals of Manipal University and the Head Office of the Syndicate Bank.

Fed up with the situation, former municipal councillor, Nityananda Volakadu, wore a raincoat and tried to swim in one of these pools of stagnant water.

He said that a large number of people, including students, teachers and patients, visited this place daily. Though this stretch of road, which was earlier part of the State Highway, had since become part of National Highway 169A connecting Malpe with Tirthahalli, its condition was pathetic.

Both the governments should take immediate action to repair it. “The contractor, who constructed this road, should be black-listed. A concrete road should be built from Syndicate Circle to MIT Junction,” he said.