He recalled his visit to the area the previous year during heavy rainfall, noting that the construction of national highways was not carried out with scientific precision. Additionally, he criticised the Seabird Naval base?s canals as being poorly organised. He had previously warned about the risk of landslides, but these warnings were ignored by NHAI. This was stated by him in response to queries in the assembly regarding the incident.
Byre Gowda also indicated that NHAI officials often responded by citing their central office in Delhi and promising to send a letter. However, he assured that the government is taking the incident seriously and that discussions with officials would be scheduled. He also mentioned that a letter would be sent through the chief secretary and that all necessary measures would be implemented to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Speaker U T Khader proposed filing cases against central agencies, but Byre Gowda noted that the state was not inclined to engage in a conflict.
Byre Gowda described the location of the national highway as being situated between a river and a hill, where some unauthorized small canteens had been established along the roadside. The landslide occurred when tanker drivers transporting cooking gas (LPG) had stopped their vehicles for tea. The landslide engulfed the tankers and canteens, with reports suggesting that seven people, including the tanker drivers, might have lost their lives.
The rescue operation is currently in progress, with teams from the fire brigade and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at the scene.
