BJP leader's son triggers social media debate with post over Mangaluru-Udupi NH 66 woes
Mangaluru: A social media post by the son of former Karnataka Home Minister and Senior BJP Minister late VS Acharya, against the pathetic conditions of NH 66 between Udupi and Mangalore has led to a social media debate.
Dr. Kiran Acharya on Sunday wrote in his Facebook post to call out the threatening condition of the NH 66 between Udupi and Mangaluru. He shared pictures of the potholes adding that some of them can even swallow unsuspecting two-wheelers. He also added the roads also had dangerous water puddles and other road hazards, all on a tollway.
In his post, Acharya also shared a post wherein it was written “Rs 55 toll fee. For every paisa you pay, a pothole is guaranteed.”
What caught the public eye and triggered an online debate was Acharya’s conclusion of the post where he stated that there was no point in tagging any official or politician – minister as they have taken the public for granted.
Several users soon jumped into the conversation and the comment section was filled with grievances and concerns of people. Users also complained about the ignorance of the administration and ministry about the safety of common citizens.
Users also shared images and videos of huge water puddles, potholes, and traffic congestion on the NH 66 to counter the claims of Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari who has time and again claimed the NH 66 widening work was done smoothly and is nearing completion.
Some of the users tagged Nitin Gadkari and other officials in the comments section in a bid to bring the issue to their notice.
Earlier this month, a Karnataka BJP MLA from Ankola-Karwar constituency Rupali Naik had also countered Gadkiri’s claims on ‘near-completion’ of the project.
On July 2, Gadkari, the union minister of road transport and highways tweeted a series of photos, saying, "The project for 4-Laning of Goa/Karnataka Border to Kundapur section of NH-17 in the State of Karnataka is near completion". He had claimed that 94 percent of the work was done and the project would be open by December 2022.
However, Naik countered Gadkari's claim, saying “They have not completed much of the work. The company has just made roads wherever they have acquired the land. Wherever they can, they have built culverts. They have made the roads, but where are the service roads? How should the locals cross over to the other side?" The New Indian Express reported.
“In many places, the work has not started. Pedestrians, normally rural people, will be hit badly due to this. They have not installed even a single streetlight,” she alleged. “There are no drains all along the stretch. The water accumulated should be diverted. But the roads are waterlogged,” she had said.
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Jaishankar meets European, UK, Egyptian counterparts at UAE summit
Dubai (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met with his counterparts from Europe, the UK and Egypt on the sidelines of a high-level international summit in the United Arab Emirates, where leaders and policymakers gathered to discuss key geopolitical and security challenges.
In a social media post on Saturday, Jaishankar said "it was great to be" with Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, and Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze.
The minister was in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi to attend the three-day Sir Bani Yas Forum 2025, which concluded on Sunday.
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Jaishankar also met UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy on the sidelines of the summit.
"Good to see UK DPM @DavidLammy on the sidelines of Sir Bani Yas Forum 2025," he said in another social media post.
In another meeting, the External Affairs Minister said it was “nice to catch up” with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty.
Sir Bani Yas Forum is an annual platform that brings together global leaders, ministers and experts to deliberate on regional and international issues.
