Karnataka Income Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has claimed that unscientific highway building alongside Nationwide Freeway 66 was chargeable for the landslide close to the Shirur area of Ankola within the Uttara Kannada district on July 16. Seven folks have died within the incident and several other others are nonetheless lacking.
“In Karwar, close to Ankola, a landslide has occurred on the nationwide freeway. Whereas developing the nationwide freeway, they’ve reduce the hill in a steep method, it’s virtually a vertical reduce. When a hill is reduce for an infrastructure mission, a slope is normally supplied as a way to stop landslides within the wet season,” Byre Gowda stated within the state legislature on Friday, talking concerning the highway building measures deployed to increase the freeway.
“For those who reduce the hill in a vertical method at a 90-degree angle, it’s a method of welcoming a catastrophe throughout the monsoon. The nationwide freeway has been designed in an unscientific method and that is the reason for the landslide is what the individuals are saying,” Byre Gowda stated.
“On one facet there’s a landslide, on the opposite facet there may be water that’s standing at a top of 5 ft on the nationwide freeway. Our officers needed to journey in a truck on account of excessive water ranges on the freeway to achieve the spot of the landslide,” he stated. “The chief secretary has spoken to the NHAI (Nationwide Highways Authority of India) concerning the unscientific method of design,” he added.
A complete of seven our bodies have been recovered from the location of the landslide and plenty of are nonetheless lacking.
“To this point we’ve got recovered seven our bodies together with that of a household and two lorry drivers. There’s information {that a} lorry belonging to Sagar Timber Firm is lacking. The GPS location is supplied. The household of the lorry driver from Kozhikode has stated that there was no communication for 4 days. Heavy automobiles are working 24/7 to take away the particles from the freeway to search out the lacking lorry and its driver,” the Uttara Kannada district Superintendent of Police M Narayana stated.
The last GPS location for truck driver Arjun S from Kerala has been recognized because the landslide spot, the district police stated earlier on Friday. Arjun, who’s from Kozhikode, was driving a Benz lorry with the registration quantity KA-15-A-7427.
Rescuers are utilizing heavy tools on the web site of the landslide to search out the truck driver and several other others who’re believed to have stopped at a roadside resort when the landslide occurred on July 16.
The landslide occurred close to Shirur village below the Ankola police station limits of the Uttara Kannada district, on the sting of Nationwide Freeway 66, at round 8.30 am on July 16.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy visited the location of the landslide on Saturday and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is anticipated to go to on Sunday.