Mangaluru, (The Hindu): Severed road and rail connectivity between the coastal areas and the hinterland following landslips has considerably affected trade and commerce in the coastal districts, particularly the operations of New Mangalore Port, besides inconveniencing the common man.

NMPT used to get a bulk of its container traffic from Nanjangud Industrial Area through Sampaje Ghat. Container Corporation of India, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, had established an inland container depot at NMPT and moved containers on rail between Mangaluru and Bengaluru. This traffic has completely been affected, said sources in the Port Trust.

Inland traffic between Mangaluru Port and other ports too has been affected. NMPT used to get large quantities of containerised floor tiles and other construction material from Gujarat and Rajasthan, which was moved by roads and rail to the hinterland.

Though small and medium industries in the coastal region are yet to feel the brunt of the severed connectivity, they would feel the heat if the situation continues for another week, said Kanara Small Industries Association president Gaurav Hegde. While most of the raw material is sourced from the North and NMPT, marketing the finished products would get affected, Mr. Hegde told The Hindu.

Public Works Department Secretary K.S. Krishna Reddy said that the government is keen on restoring road connectivity and it would resort to short-term tenders for restoration works. Such tenders are already invited for certain stretches of PWD roads in Kodagu district, he said.

The case of battered Sampaje Ghat (between Madikeri and Sullia in Dakshina Kannada) is, however, different as it passes between the hillocks and the Payaswini. Built on the benching and trimming method, a major portion of the ghat has either sunken into the river or got washed away. Once access to the region is enabled, experts would assess the damage and come out with a solution. There would be no delay as PWD engineers are competent to execute the restoration work speedily, Mr. Reddy said.

IRC standards

Retired PWD Superintending Engineer B.S. Balakrishna said that failure to build highways as per Indian Road Congress standards and movement of overloaded goods vehicles are the reason for faster decay of roads.

He said that well strengthened, well-resurfaced and well-maintained roads with stipulated quality should last at least seven years in the plains and four years on rolling terrain.