Police seek NIT-K’s opinion to address traffic issues at Hamilton Circle

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) K. Ravishankar said on Thursday, January 30, that city police have sought the expert opinion from the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka (NIT-K) to address the traffic issues at the Hamilton Circle, in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, in city.

He was responding to demand from councillors to end the traffic chaos at the circle, during the monthly meeting of Mangaluru City Corporation council.

Mr. Ravishankar said that a professor of the NIT-K visited the spot last week to take stock of the situation.

Mayor Manoj Kumar who presided over the meeting said that councillors and police will inspect the Hamilton Circle and A.B. Shetty Junction again on Monday at 10 a.m. to find out a solution to the chaos.

Earlier, Abdul Latheef, councillor, Port Ward, who raised the matter said that the chaos persists from past five years.

Displaying a banner in the council to highlight the issue Mr. Latheef said that an immediate solution is required to the issues.

Naveen R. D’Souza, a councillor and a former leader of the Opposition in the council said that the corporation should ask the NIT-K to prepare a detailed project report on the traffic management in the city. Many other parts of the city are also facing traffic issues, he said.

Former Mayor M. Shashidhar Hegde said that mere planning is not enough. The plans will have to implemented in stages to get the result.

Some councillors demanded police and the corporation to withdraw one-way traffic imposed on the loop road (from Clock Tower to Clock Tower via A.B. Shetty Junction, Hamilton Circle and Rao and Rao Circle) and restore two-way traffic between Clock Tower and A.B. Shetty Circle.

Responding to it the Mayor said that the one-way traffic was imposed after the council passed a resolution. If two-way traffic was to be restored again, the council will have to pass another resolution.

Mr. Hegde suggested that the council could pass a resolution on the same in its next monthly meeting which will be the last meeting of the present council as the five-year term of the elected council expires in February, 2025.