From CT correspondent
PADUBIDRI: The jatha organize in Padubidri on September 9 to protest against the sorry state of the Mangalore-Udupi National Highway, led to interesting turn of events as the jatha took the form of a Highway block agitation. It also took political overtones when leaders of the other parties refrained from participating on the grounds that they had been ignored or neglected during the press meet convened by former minister Vasanth Salian to announce the protest.
The jatha which initially began as a protest march resembled more of a police parade than a protest as the police personnel had outnumbered the agitators. While nearly 25 Congressmen took part in the protest, the number of police personnel was around 40. As the protest march proceeded hundreds joined it. But when there was no sight of any official from the district administration even until the protestors reached Padubidri town, they as a last resort, resorted to rasta roko for nearly 15 minutes, led by former minister Vasanth Salian.
Finally, the Udupi tahsildar Prasanna Kumar arrived at the spot and accepted the memorandum from the agitators.
Addressing the agitators, Salian set a 15day deadline to repair the road and warned of huge protest if no step was initiated by the authorities. Meanwhile, Highway Department officer Umesh Kamath who arrived at the spot, informed that already there has been an order to undertake repair of the highway in case weather permitted for at least 15 days.
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