Mangaluru: A pothole-filled road in Mangaluru has claimed the life of a man on Saturday evening. Sunil and Dharmappa were going on a bike on the National Highway 169 near Belvai when a speeding lorry rammed their bike. While Dhamappa, who was riding pillion, died on the way to hospital, Sunil who is seriously injured it taking treatment at a private hospital in the city.

Police said it was raining heavily on Saturday evening and the accident happened when Sunil, after reaching Belavi downtown on Karkala-Moodbidri national highway, noticed a huge pothole in the middle of the road and suddenly applied brake to avoid it without noticing a speeding the truck coming from behind.

Sunil and Dharmappa, both are relatives and masons by profession. They were returning to their village Manchakal, Siddakatte in Bantwal taluk after work. Dharamappa is survived by wife and one and a half-year-old child. Police have arrested truck driver Raghavendra of Davanagere.

On Saturday, when MLA J R Lobo was heading for a meeting, auto rickshaw drivers of Jeppinamogaru stopped his car and demanded immediate repair of pothole-ridden roads. They also explained the difficulties they are facing while driving on these roads. Lobo promised to take up road repair work after rain is stopped. About 50km of national highway stretch from Nanthoor to Karkala is full of potholes putting lives of motorists at risk. Though the porblem is dogging motorists for the past two months, authorities have done nothing to repair the road.