Retaining wall near Madikeri DC office inspected

PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi being appprised of the work in progress of the retaining wall near Madikeri Deputy Commissioner’s office, on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

The retaining wall near the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Madikeri was inspected by PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Saturday and he assured that the works would be completed by April.

One of the major works whose quality of construction has come under flak, the structure threatens to cave in during monsoon adding to risk. The retaining wall caved in a few years ago due to incessant rains and though funds were sanctioned for their repair, the quality was not up to the mark.

The Minister who inspected the structure sought information about the work in progress and announced that it will be completed by April. The engineers who apprised Mr. Jarkiholi of the repairs, said that the repair works was being taken up in two phases. A portion of the earlier retaining wall was being strengthened by using concrete mix and the structure would be further reinforced to provide stablity, according to the local authorities.

A.S. Ponnanna, Manthar Gowda, MLAs, former MLC Veena Acchaiah, Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja, Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan and others were present.

Earlier, the Minister participated in the ground-breaking ceremony for a new bridge to be constructed by the PWD in the Somwarpet sub-division, coming under Madikeri Assembly segment. The new bridge will replace the existing bridge built at Igooru village in 1940. The bridge has rusted and was on the verge of collapse and hence the project to build a new bridge at a cost of ₹8.46 crore.

Manthar Gowda said the PWD should focus on quality, and appealed to the public to bear with the inconvenience during the construction phase by taking a detour. He also sought additional funds for roads and bridges in Kodagu on the grounds that they tend to get battered during heavy rains in monsoon.

Mr. Jarkiholi said the steel bridge which existed for decades, was constructed during the British period and it was imperative to replace it with a new one given its deteriorating condition. He said the tenders for the work has been finalised and the work would commence soon. He said the government was committed to providing additional funds for road works in Kodagu.