Agumbe Ghat to be closed for vehicular movements in March

Shivamogga: District Commissioner of Shivamogga KA Dayanand on Saturday, February 23 has passed the order that all vehicles at Agumbe Ghat have been banned from March 1 to 31 to carry out repair works at some stretches where landslides occurred during the rainy season. 

Landslides had been reported on this stretch in June and July 2018 owing to heavy rain. Following this, temporary restoration and repair work was undertaken, but the landslide near Ane Bande was posing problems for vehicular movement, so, repair works have been taken up. 

Reportedly, the vehicles banned include light and heavy motor vehicles, jeeps, vans, buses, minivans and two-wheelers. People travelling from Shivamogga to Udupi and Mangaluru have to take a deviation from Tirthahalli to Koppa – Sringeri- Malaghat-Karkala- Udupi (National Highway No. 169).

Heavy vehicles and buses like Airavata, Rajahamsa, private luxury buses, bullet tankers, ship cargo containers and long chassis lorries have to travel through Tirthahalli – Mastikatte-Hosangadi-Siddapura-Kundapura-Udupi (National Highway 52). The DC has directed putting up signboards in select places to stop movement of any vehicles on Agumbe Ghat, said a release.