Udupi: National Highway is full of dust!!!

By Prakash katapadi
Bellevision Media Network

Katapadi, 23 March 2011: The construction work of the national highway NH-17 project is in the process, but with this construction work the dust spread all over causing inconvenience and high risk to the vehicle movement on the highway. When the soil tippers and the crusher heavy vehicles move around it will extract the dust polluting the environment. While the heavy vehicles on the road move on extracting the dust the smaller vehicles especially the plight of the two wheelers is worse.

 

With the inhaling of the dust everyday with the dust all over the face and eyes which has been causing respiratory problems to the travellers. Also, they have to stop the vehicles in between for few minutes to take care of themselves and then proceed further. The dust which is extracted by the heavy vehicles will keep moving in the air and will take some time to settle down, hence it becomes mandatory for the two wheelers to wear helmets to protect themselves from the dust.

 

Since this dust has become common these days most of the two wheeler riders have made it a regular practice to mask their faces with cloth. Others without a option swallow the dust cursing the administration. Plight of the bust travellers is even worse. Many a times the dust gets filled in the bus making it difficult for the passengers to breath.

 

 

In the night the roads seem foggy due to this dust all around. Even with the lights the road ahead cannot be seen properly and in the dust one has to manage to drive through. Among the large vehicles which extract heavy dust, the smaller vehicles cannot have the visibility. Along with the red soil dumped for backfilling of the widening road, also the crusher dust gets mixed up and gets sprayed on the faces of drivers making them to drive even by closing their eyes.
 

 

Since the trees on the highway are now removed there is direct sunlight which  hits making it feel hot and on the other side the open space in the absence of trees allows the dusty wind to swipe causing the dusty atmosphere. With the dust from the heavy vehicles, the smaller vehicles loose control and causes to fall into ditch or get into accident.

 

Though the construction work is going on in the highway, the express vehicles go with full speed and even damage the concrete which is casted causing more problems. As the construction work is going on in fast track it is normal to have problems to the travellers and vehicles. But the vehicle driver’s safety and the health point of view of the passengers, the public are demanding that the contractors must take necessary precautions to avoid dust pollution.