Mangaluru : Dakshina Kannada District In-Charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai on Sunday castigated Public Works Department (PWD) for what he termed, ‘irresponsible’ attitude in upgrading the Charmadi Ghat, the major alternative route between the coast and hinterlands.

The Ghat is being extensively used in the wake of closure of Shiradi Ghat, the main thoroughfare on National Highway-75 for reconstruction works. Presiding a meeting on district natural calamity monitoring committee here, Mr. Rai said that the District Administration had asked PWD way back in July last to upgrade the Charmadi Ghat, but the department did nothing.

Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim too joined Mr. Rai and said repeated reminders from the administration were not of any help to general public. The PWD woke up only when two ministers got stuck in traffic jam in Charmadi soon after the Shiradi Ghat was closed in January this year and undertook minor modifications, he pointed out. There have been frequent traffic jams on the Ghat thereby putting commuters into severe inconvenience, he said.

PWD’s Executive Engineer (NH Division) said that the recent traffic jams were due to plying of multi-axle trucks, monsoon, landslides and fall of trees. The Administration, however, was not prepared to buy his argument and issued strict directions to set right the things.

Mr. Nataraj agreed to set right the things and sought deployment of six each home guards in Dakshina Kannada border as well as Chikkamangaluru border.

Superintended of Police S.D. Sharanappa, Zilla Panchayat CEO I.P. Srividya and others were present.