Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja has issued clear directions to properly maintain all roads under the jurisdiction of the National Highway, Public Works, and Panchayat Raj Departments in the district. Chairing the District Road Safety Committee Meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office recently, he directed engineers to prioritize road safety by: Installing speed humps wherever necessary, Clearly marking white stripes on the humps, Cutting roadside trees that obstruct visibility, and Installing signboards to alert drivers about sharp turns, bumpy roads, and other potential hazards.
“Drivers should be provided with adequate information about road conditions to help control speed and prevent accidents,” Venkat Raja said, stressing the need for urgent measures. He highlighted the Kushalnagar-Sampaje National Highway as an accident-prone stretch, noting that four people recently lost their lives in a mishap near Koyanadu. “Frequent accidents are occurring on this highway. Signboards and preventive measures must be installed immediately,” he said.
The DC also instructed the installation of a signboard near Aturu junction on the Virajpet-Gonikoppa route and the construction of road humps to slow speeding vehicles. “If accidents occur due to poor maintenance on roads under your departments, cases will be filed against the responsible officials,” he warned.He asked engineers to submit taluk-wise reports within a week detailing the road safety measures implemented. The next District Road Safety Committee Meeting will be held on August 21, he informed.
District Deputy Superintendent of Police Barike Dinesh Kumar also stressed that all speed humps should be painted white and said a list of high-accident locations would be provided within two to three days. “Many lives are being lost to accidents. Road safety is not optional-it is essential. Every life is precious, and each department-police, national highways, public works, panchayat raj, regional transport-must take responsibility,” he stated.He added that accident-prone stretches with multiple mishaps within half a kilometer would be identified as ‘black spots.’
Officials Present: National Highways Division Engineer G.S. Girish, Public Works Department Executive Engineer Ibrahim, Panchayat Raj Department Executive Engineer G.K. Nayak, Regional Transport Officer Satish, Municipal Commissioner H.R. Ramesh, KSRTC Madikeri Unit Assistant Traffic Superintendent A. Eerasappa, and others.
