DAVANGERE: Merchants have opposed the proposal to widen PB Road (Pune-Bangalore Road) in the city. They questioned why the Davangere City Corporation was harping on road widening in the city when there was a wide bypass for heavy vehicles and vehicles that pass through Davangere.

At a meeting of merchants organised by the Davangere Chamber of Commerce here on Friday evening, the merchants decided to meet Ravindranath, Davangere district in-charge Minister; G.M. Siddeshwar, Davangere MP; and Shyamanur Shivashankarappa, MLA; and urge them to direct the corporation to drop the plan.

Many merchants were not in favour of a legal fight against the corporation in this regard. They felt that the corporation must be made to realise that there was no urgent need for road widening, which might cause untold misery to merchants on the road. It was wrong to think about beautifying the city by demolishing the existing buildings in the name of road widening, the merchants felt and said that the busy Brigade Road in Bangalore was not a wide road, but it attracted thousands of tourists every day.

K. Mallappa, former MLC, and some other merchants called upon the corporation and district administration to concentrate on other development works instead of thinking of road widening. They demanded that the district administration drop the proposed move immediately.

Andanur Kotrabasappa of Chamber of Commerce and many traders participated in the meeting.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu