MANDYA: Villagers of Hanakere on Monday charged on to the 10-lane expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru with bullock carts and pitched tent to stage protest against what they termed as the ‘unscientific design’ of the highway.
The villagers demanded that an underpass be constructed near the village to make it easier for their movement. They said that protests had been staged earlier too, but the authorities had ignored their plea.
On Monday, the villagers gathered on the expressway with their bullock carts, cars, two-wheelers and blocked traffic, which resulted in a jam for several kilometres. When the protesters did not heed the plea by the police not to hold up traffic, they resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd and detained Raitha Sangha leader Madhuchandan Ranna, leading to a tense situation.
The police somehow managed to evict the protesters and cleared the expressway of the bullock carts and shamiyana. “Villagers of Hanakere staged a protest to demand construction of an underpass on the 10-lane National Highwa-275 between Bengaluru and Mysuru. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) deputy manager has communicated to their Delhi office and secured a letter promising an underpass. The work will be taken up in two months. Following the assurance, the villagers have withdrawn their protest and normal traffic flow resumed”, Mandya Superintendent of Police N Yatish said.