Siddaramaiah to Write to Gadkari on Shiradi Ghat Highway Construction Lapses

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that he would write to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding unscientific and substandard quality roadwork executed in the Shiradi Ghat by the National Highway Authority which is witnessed the landslide recently.

He visited the site of the Shiradi Ghat landslide, inspected the area, and then gave strict instructions to the regional officer of the National Highway Authority.

“The main reason for the landslide is the straight 90-degree cutting of hills for road construction. Out of a total of 45 km, 35 km of highway work has been completed. However, no retaining walls have been constructed anywhere so far, and no soil quality tests have been conducted to implement safety precautions based on the results,” he said.

“With the intention of saving money, less land was acquired, and then to reduce costs, the hills were cut at 90 degrees. Isn’t this unscientific construction? If the hills had been cut at 30 to 45 degrees and retaining walls constructed, soil erosion could have been prevented. Did you conduct soil quality tests before starting the work? Precautionary measures should have been taken accordingly. We will write a letter from the government to Union Minister Gadkari about the overall situation here,” said the CM.

Hassan district in-charge Minister Rajanna, MLA Shivalinge Gowda, MP Shreyas Patel, Public Works Department Secretary Satyanarayana, and other senior officials were present at the site.