BELAGAVI
Members of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) on Monday afternoon staged a massive Rasta Roko agitation, to demand repairs of the dilapidated stretch on the Belagavi-Goa road via Amboli.
The activists under the leadership of ex-MLA and president of the taluka MES Manohar Kinekar had blocked the busy road near Uchgaon village. As the result of the agitation, traffic on the busy interstate highway came to a standstill for almost three hours. Long rows of vehicles were seen on both sides causing huge inconvenience to the commuters.
Police and PWD authorities reached the spot soon after the agitation started. PWD Executive Engineer SS Sobrad who visited the spot along with DySP J Raghu and police force assured the agitators that a plan to widen the road and also to reconstruct of repairs is ready.
“We were waiting for the monsoon to recede so that we could commence the work. However, the repairs and reconstruction work will start within a fortnight,” Sobrad and team assured.
MES also demanded the repairs of other heavily damaged roads connecting Belagavi city. M G Patil, Manohar Santaji, R M Killekar, Ramchandra Modgekar and others were presented a memorandum to the authorities.
The MES leaders who have been demanding the repairs of the heavily damaged Belagavi to Bachi stretch of the Belagavi-Vengurla Road that passes through Amboli had been demanding for the repairs of the road.
A month ago, MES leaders had submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, MLAs concerned and Minister, and had warned of a massive agitation. As nothing worked the MES decided to stage the Rasta Roko on Monday mobilising a huge response.
“This is an important interstate highway connecting Andhra, Karnataka to Southern Maharashtra, Goa and Konkan. It is almost two decades that the authorities have promised widening of the same have not done any widening, reconstruction or repairs,” said Manohar Kinekar.
“Now the road is so damaged that it is becoming increasingly difficult to commute on this route. Apart from heavy dust, minor and major accidents are also taking place due to which lives of commuters and the villagers en route are in danger.”
Kinekar has appealed to authorities and elected representatives to take up the matter on priority or else, they would be forced to stage a more massive agitation.
He also questioned as to why the funds for this important highway were not released for over 20 years.
