The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has sought the urgent restoration of the 10-km stretch between Maranahalli and Addahole on National Highway no. 75 that connects Mangaluru to Bengaluru.

A delegation of KCCI — which met the Rajya Sabha member, D Veerendra Heggade, at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district recently — said the 10-km stretch between Maranahalli and Addahole has become a significant bottleneck for commuters and for the transportation of goods between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, and the hinterland.

Despite repeated requests, the condition of this road has not improved and has become completely non-motorable.

Stating that the industry and export-import trade rely heavily on New Mangalore Port for shipment of goods, the delegation informed the Rajya Sabha member that his personal intervention with the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, was instrumental in securing funds for temporary repairs last time. This proactive step by Heggade provided much needed relief, making the road motorable at that time.

Anand G Pai, President of KCCI, said these temporary repairs were short lived, as this year’s heavy monsoon rains caused extensive damage, rendering the stretch once again non-motorable. No remedial measures have been undertaken since, and the situation now demands urgent attention.

Requesting the personal intervention of Heggade once again, he said there is an urgent need to allocate emergency funds for the restoration of this critical stretch between Maranahalli and Addahole.

“Additionally, we request that the Project Director of the National Highway Authority (Hassan Division) be directed to take necessary steps, as was done last year, by filling potholes, repairing craters, and asphalting this 10-km stretch to ensure road connectivity from Mangaluru to Bengaluru,” he said.

While we appreciate the efforts and proactive measures already taken by the Project Director, Hassan Division, in deploying resources to expedite work, we emphasise the need for swift completion to ensure that the road remains motorable, he added.

The delegation also stressed the need to expedite completion of the important four-lane road project from BC Road junction in Dakshina Kannada district to Sakleshpur in Hassan district on NH-75.

Apart from Anand G Pai, the delegation included Ashwin Pai Maroor, Honorary Secretary of KCCI, Jeethan Allen Sequeira, Director and Chairman of KCCI’s EXIM sub-committee, Nownith Kumar, Consultant for Business Development and Liaisoning at JSW (Mangalore Container Terminal), and Dilip Shetty, General Manager of Business Development at JSW.