Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta has announced the resumption of widening of the 35-km stretch between Punjalakatte and Charmadi on the Mangaluru-Tumakuru National Highway 73. Work on the project had been stopped for two months.

D.P. Jain & Co Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., which had bagged the widening contract for ₹390 crore as against the estimate of ₹520 crore, was unable to execute the project for several reasons, including lack of local geographical knowledge, Capt. Chowta told reporters at Belthangady on August 11.

Consequently, the MP facilitated an understanding between D.P. Jain & Co Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. and Mugrodi Constructions as a result of which the latter will carry out the rest of the work. Work on the project is expected to gain momentum as Mugrodi Constructions is well-versed with the local topography and has the requisite resources, he said.

Initially, gravel would be laid at slush-prone stretches to make the highway motorable. Once the rains abate, a full-scale road would be laid.

Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja said the then MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had got the work sanctioned from the Union Road Transport Ministry upon his request. The contractor, however, could not carry out the work because of the severe weather conditions in the region.

On June 20, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the work of widening NH 73 into two-lanes with paved shoulder between Punjalakatte and Charmadi, from Bengaluru along with some other projects. The total cost of the project, being executed by the National Highways division of the State Public Works Department, was pegged at ₹718 crore, including land acquisition.

Incomplete work resulted in NH73 road becoming slushy and slippery

D.P. Jain & Co Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., which had scrapped the existing bitumen cover, excavated earth and cut hill slopes before the onset of the monsoon, but could not bring the work to a logical end. Consequently, the National Highway 73 became slushy and slippery at many locations inconveniencing not only the motorists, but also people living in the vicinity, school children and business establishments.

The district administration too had stepped in and directed the NH-PWD to make temporary arrangements to prevent formation of slush pools. However, those measures did not last long because of the heavy traffic on the Bantwal-Dharmasthala and Bantwal-Charmadi sectors.