Kaup: Recurrent waterlogging on NH66 puts motorists at risk

‎Kapu‎‎: Amid the heavy rains, the National Highway 66 in front of Kaup Vidyaniketan Educational Institution here has been waterlogged, disrupting the traffic flow on the highway and endangering the lives of motorists and pedestrians.

The knee-deep water accumulated on the highway connecting Mangaluru and Udupi, and the adjoining service roads not only makes driving extremely challenging, but also raises the risk of accidents posing danger to the lives of motorists, especially those using auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers.

This situation recurs every time it rains a bit heavily, locals allege.

Loclas point out that the lack of sufficient drainage and design flaw in the construction of the highway as the main reason for the recurrent issue. In the absence of sufficient stormwater relief, water gets stagnated on the service road and then spills over onto the national highway.

Jayaram Acharya, a local social activist, said that unscientific work by the highway authorities has been causing problems for several years now. Several requests for solving the issue have been made to the NHAI officials, contractors, and Kaup Municipality officials, but they have fallen on deaf ears, he alleged.