Jaago Mangalore's honk protest call gains momentum

Mangalore, March 21: The call by Jaago Mangalore Association for Protest Against Bad Roads on Friday, 23rd March 2012 at 6:00 P.M. in the form of mass honking has been steadily gaining momentum with several voluntary organizations and professional bodies such as DK Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union, DK Bus Operators Association, Kanara Bus Owners Association, City Bus Owners Association, Quarry & Stone Crushers Association, Lions Clubs, Jaycees, Kanara Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike pledging support.

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike DK chief Dr. Annayya Kulal has said his organization has selected the junction outside Bharath Mall as the venue for staging its protest. “We have always supported peaceful struggle for developmental purposes and whenever there is a good cause we should support each other. The issue of bad roads taken up by Jaago Mangalore Association under the leadership of Vijaynath Shetty is very timely and relevant as the citizens have been suffering for a long time,” Kulal has said.

Similarly Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) under the leadership of Ashok Kumar Shetty and Suresh Shetty too have been forthright in their support. According to Vishnumurthy, of DK Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union and Jayarama Sheka of City Bus Owners Association, over 6000 public transport vehicles like rickshaws, truck & buses, taxis etc are expected to throw their weight behind the campaign as it addresses their common cause. The Ivan D'souza, President of Mangalore Mahanagara Autorickshaw Chalakara Sangha, Mangalore Karmikara Parishat Bus Naukarara Sangha, Tempo Chalaka Malakara Sangha and DK Talehore Karmikara Sangha has issued a statement expressing full support for the campaign and said the organizations that he leads would participate in the protest.

Vijaynath Shetty, the chief co-ordinator of the protest has said the organizers have been receiving deluge of SMS and e-mail messages of support from public to its numbers 8884659777, 8884642777 and e-mail ID [email protected], [email protected].

“So far we have received thousands of messages and we are confident of the success of our campaign to put the problem of bad roads on the top of the administrative agenda,” he says. “We feel encouraged that our message has fallen on the right ears as the authorities have already initiated many remedial measures to repair bad roads, especially the repair of Bolechar Bridge near Mijar, which we have been highlighting in our campaign. This is very good news and I am told the repair work of the dilapidated road near Yedapadav leading to Sri Bhoothanatheshwara Temple too will be taken up soon.”

Unique 5-Minute Protest:

The campaign will be held in two places: (1) Entire Mangalore city and nearby places and (2) Yedapadav Junction.

Jaago Mangalore Association has conceived of a unique 5-minute protest to highlight the issue of bad roads without disrupting public life. The protest calls for all citizens to stop their vehicles on the main road on 23rd March at 6 p.m. and honk continuously for just 5 minutes to show their voice again against the failure of the authorities and the existing administrative system to deliver and maintain quality roads for the use of the taxpaying citizens. The protest will last only for maximum 5 minutes without disturbing public life and free movement of vehicular traffic will commence immediately after the stipulated 5 minutes.

Separate Protest at Yedapadav Junction:

A separate protest is planned at Yedapadavu Junction and the public are requested to assemble at Mijar near Bolechar Bridge at 5:00 p.m., when a protest march will begin to move towards Yedapadavu Junction and a road blockade will be held at Yedapadavu junction at 6:00 p.m. for half hour after which free movement of traffic will commence. According to Vijaynath Shetty, preparations are going on in full swing in Yedapadavu to accommodate the protest.

“Our campaign is mainly against the archaic administrative practices, needless bureaucracy and red tape and not against any individuals or the government as a whole,” explains Vijaynath Shetty, “Indian economy is today very robust and government has enough and more money. At the same time there are very competent officers who can do a good job if they are given a free hand. Unfortunately we cannot reap the advantages of the economic progress achieved by globalization as we have a redundant administrative system which delays response and retards growth. Through our campaign against bad roads, we want to impress upon the need to realign the administrative machinery to become more proactive and responsive to the needs of the people and the reality of our times.”