Buntshostel: An unmotorable stretch

Mangaluru 

If you want to understand the condition of roads today, a drive through Buntshostel says it all, as what was once a busy and smooth junction has now turned into a continuous work zone where trenches cut across the road, surfaces are uneven, and vehicles move slowly not by choice but by compulsion. This is not about potholes or rain, but about roads being repeatedly opened for different works, leaving them in a constant state of disruption.

What is seen at Buntshostel is not an isolated issue, but a reflection of what is happening across Dakshina Kannada, where roads in city areas, towns and interior localities are being dug up again and again for drainage projects, water pipelines, underground cables and fibre lines, often without any coordination. A road is opened for one work, and before it is properly restored, another agency comes and cuts the same stretch again, which means the road never really gets completed, and what remains is a surface that is neither smooth nor stable.

At Buntshostel, which handles heavy traffic throughout the day, the situation becomes more difficult as vehicles are forced to slow down, lanes are unclear and commuters navigate through loose mud, gravel and partially closed trenches, turning even a short distance into a long stretch. “It’s not about whether work should happen or not,” says Sachin K, a regular commuter. “Development is needed, but there is no coordination and the same road is being dug multiple times, which is frustrating for everyone.”

A former corporator, not wanting to be named, said there is no planning at all in how works are taken up. “Anyone can come and dig the road for their work and no one questions it. There is no system to ensure everything is done together and that is why people are facing the same problem again and again,” he said. For those running businesses and services along such stretches, the disruption is immediate. A doctor who recently opened a clinic near Kadri said she was surprised when the road in front of her clinic was dug up soon after she started operations, forcing her to wait until the work is completed for normal patient access, adding that such situations affect not just business but also essential services.

Across the district, similar complaints are being heard as roads are opened, left incomplete for days, and then closed in a temporary manner that does not last, leading to further damage and repeated work. The issue is not the need for infrastructure, but the lack of a single plan where all works are done together instead of disturbing the same road again and again. Without coordination between departments, every project treats the road separately and the result is a cycle where roads are never fully complete but always under work. Buntshostel today is one example, but the story is the same across Dakshina Kannada. Until planning improves, the pattern will remain simple and unchanged as roads will continue to be cut, laid and dug again.