Mangalore: Potholes Reappear On Revamped Roads Just 10 Days After PM Modi's Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mangalore on September 2 to lay the foundation for several ambitious projects. A few days prior to his visit, officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) along with the district administrations went on a drive to fill up potholes and asphalting stretches of road between New Mangalore Port and Kuloor.

The decades-old Kuloor Bridge was also revamped with a fresh coat of paint, and it got the attention of several netizens who have been complaining about the poorly-maintained roads for a while now.

However, this relief did not last long, as ten days after Modi's visit, the roads are returning to their previous conditions. The freshly applied paint has chipped off, and the asphalt is peeling in many places due to its substandard quality.

Requests For Frequent Visits From Modi

"Thank you for coming to #Mangalore. Now we can enjoy pothole-free roads, at least in those areas where you passed. On behalf of all Mangaloreans, I request you to come back again in 3 months, because that is the time these roads are going to last," read a tweet by a Mangalorean, Junaiz Mohammed. His prediction came a little early, with the asphalt coming off within ten days of Modi's departure from Mangalore.

The poor-quality bitumen laid on NH 66 was highlighted by many citizens, who requested Modi to make more frequent visits so that the motorists would have safe roads to travel on.

https://t.co/IbhpsCtUd6
Looks like we need to invite our PM every other month to Mangalore so that we can have pothole free roads. @PMOIndia @nitin_gadkari @bharathshetty_y @NHAI_Official @DCDK9 @nalinkateel @Civic_Mangalore please don't comeback telling its because of rains!

— drpp (@drpavithranp) September 13, 2022

People of #Mangalore continue to choose @BJP4India as a MP for the last 3 decades and in response we get pathetic roads . The current status of #NH75 👇🏻and is this called double engine ? @narendramodi @PMOIndia @nitin_gadkari @OfficeOfNG @nalinkateel @mepratap @CMofKarnataka https://t.co/4RUUwzFggD pic.twitter.com/v0k6Aj2qs4

— Shetty (@shettysandarsh) September 8, 2022

As per reports by Deccan Herald, several activists have raised the issue and noted a lack of transparency and accountability among the officials.

After the potholes reappeared on the newly worked roads, the NHAI project director Linge Gowda said that inspections would be conducted along the stretch of roads which got a temporary facelift, and necessary action would be taken.

Temporary Fixes Caving Within Days

Earlier this year, about 14km stretch of roads across Bangalore was repaired by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to welcome the Prime Minister. A fund of ₹23 crores was put in to revamp the roads per the BBMP chief Tushar Giri Nath's directions. Aside from roads being asphalted, the drains with broken slabs were also repaired and given a new look.

Not long after the PM's visit, many of these newly repaired roads caved in following a rain spell, reported LiveMint. This raised questions about the substandard quality of work done by the BBMP and also nudged the PM's office to seek a report from Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai.

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