Mudslide for third consecutive day blocks highway for 6 hours

Udupi, Jun 13: For third consecutive day the National Highway 66 was blocked for hours on Monday due to continues landslides at Ottinene hillock near Byndoor.

The fresh landslide on the Mangaluru-Mumbai National Highway 66, occurred on Monday noon, holding up vehicles which had reached that point.

Large vehicles, which could not manoeuvre the single lane to take the alternative route, were stuck on the highway for over six hours. Traffic was finally restored at 6pm.

The fresh mudslide prompted Udupi deputy commissioner Mary Francis to issue strict instructions that school vehicles, buses and passenger vehicles must not use NH 66 till the problem is sorted out. She also instructed the IRB Infrastructure contractor to get things in order within three days.

Udupi DC and Kundapur assistant commissioner Shilpa Nag visited the spot along with forest officials to take stock of the situation. Mary Francis ordered the IRB contractor to make a drain cutting above the hillock to prevent rain water flowing onto the road and cut the hillock in a sloping manner rather than vertical, as is being done, to arrest the slide. These two works have to be done within three days.

The Udupi DC also directed the contractor to repair the diversion road and fix potholes to make it motorable in the next 10 days.

The rain fury was such that water gushed from atop the hillock onto the road like a waterfall. The hillock is looking increasingly unstable as the earth below is getting loosened and flowing onto the road due to rain.

The IRB contractor has deployed three breakers to remove debris, remove the overhanging boulders which could prove dangerous in the event of the more rain lashing the area.

Meanwhile, the Udupi district administration has identified one more road, Jogur to Maddodi, to the existing two - Henbur to Baindoor and Dombe to Baindoor. "These are rapidly deteriorating due to heavy rain and traffic. The contractor has been instructed to make the roads motorable and fix the potholes within 10 days,'' said Shilpa.

Kumta MLA Sharada Shetty handed over cheques of Rs 4 lakh each to family members of those who died in the landslide on Sunday in Divagi village. The cheque was given to the families of Yatin Narayan Ambiga, Dhanush Ambiga and Bhavya Ambiga.