Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has said that the construction of foot overbridges on National Highway 66 has been sanctioned to improve vehicular and pedestrian safety and the work will begin soon near Srinivas College, Mukka, and near Fisheries College, Yekkur.

Capt Chowta, who had written to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and spoken during a recent meeting with the Ministry on the problems faced by users of the BC Road to Surathkal stretch of the National Highway 66. He had referred to urgency to address the need for maintenance, dangerous points and stormwater drains on the stretch, among other issues, laying further stress on its proximity to the port, its position as a key entry point to Mangaluru city and also the intensity of traffic in the region, reports Deccan Herald.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is learned to have invited tenders worth Rs 26.05 crore to cover 37.472 km from Surathkal to Nanthoor on NH 66, from BC Road to Padil on NH 73 as well as the bypass from Nanthoor Junction to Padil.

The work on the highways includes overlaying of 11.084 km (Surathkal to APMC, Kulur to AJ Hospital, and Nanthoor to Padil), carriageway cleaning, removal of vegetation, road property management and maintenance and road safety improvements (engineering works). Capt Chowta has said that, with improved service roads, infrastructure that supports pedestrians and better connectivity with the New Mangalore Port, the region can boost trade, transport and tourism.

Project Director of NHAI Abdulla Javed Azmi has said that four-laning of the Vamanjoor- Sanoor stretch of the Mangaluru-Solapur NH 169 will be completed by May.

He clarified that the work on the three-km stretch from Kulashekar to Vamanjoor, the Moodbidri bypass and some other stretches had been stalled for various reasons, including court hearing.

In addition, Captain Chowta had written to all concerned officials highlighting the need to address the poor condition of the roads near Mangalore port. New Mangalore Port Road Company Limited (NMPRCL) is learned to have invited tenders for the operation and routine maintenance of prominent stretches of the highway to ensure better connectivity to the New Mangalore Port.

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Bengaluru (PTI): A 34-year-old mechanic has died after falling off a scooter on his way to a referral hospital, as the medical facility that diagnosed him to have suffered a heart attack did not provide necessary first aid, the family of the deceased claimed.

A CCTV video showing his injured wife pleading with passersby for help while her husband Venkataramanan lay on the road after falling from the two-wheeler on December 13 has gone viral recently.

According to the family, Venkataramanan complained of chest pain, and his wife Roopa rushed him on their scooter from their home in Balaji Nagar around 3.30 am to a private hospital where treatment was denied, citing the non-availability of a doctor, the family said.

Then, she took him to another hospital where ECG was done, which showed him to have suffered a heart attack. However they immediately referred him to the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences. The family alleged that no basic treatment was provided there. On the way to Jayadeva hospital, Venkataramanan allegedly suffered chest pain again and the couple fell off the scooter, the family said.

In the CCTV video, injured Roopa can be seen pleading with passersby to help her husband reach the hospital, but no one responded until a cab driver stopped to check on them. With his help, she reached Jayadeva hospital, where doctors declared Venkataramanan brought dead, the family said. His family later donated his eyes.