NDTV Impact: Mangaluru's "Highway To Hell", Where Woman Died, To Be Repaired

Mangaluru's "Highway to hell" -- a crumbling stretch of National Highway 66 near Kulur where a pothole-related crash cost a life this week- will be repaired. This was the second accident on this stretch within a month.

A day after NDTV reported the death of Madhavi, a hospital employee from Parkala in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta held an emergency meeting with officials of the National Highway Authority of India, municipal corporation, the police and MLAs. He assured that the work to fix the stretch of the road will be done on priority. 

"We held a meeting along with officials of NHAI, police, corporation and the two MLAs of Mangaluru north and south," said Mr Chowta.

"There is  already a Rs 28 crore tender for maintenance of this road, but the work could not be carried out due to rains. We have instructed that the work be taken up as soon as possible... I have also made a request to the Central minister to upgrade the 33-km stretch of the highway," he added.

Tuesday's accident took place around 8.30 am, when Madhavi was on her way to work at the AJ hospital. Her scooter hit a pothole near the Kulur flyover. She was flung on the road and was crushed by a truck coming from behind.

Read: Mangaluru's Highway To Hell: Woman Falls Into Pothole, Gets Run Over By Truck

The incident was caught on CCTV.

Another accident on the same stretch was captured on the same CCTV camera on August 13. In that incident too, a rider was seen losing control after driving into a pothole and falling off his bike, though he survived.

Residents allege that despite repeated complaints, authorities have failed to repair the road properly, leaving it riddled with potholes and posing a daily threat to motorists. The latest fatality has once again put the spotlight on civic negligence and poor maintenance of roads in the state.