Manganese ore lorries to be stalled from entering Udupi

Udupi, Aug 31 (UNI) All manganese ore-laden lorries entering this district of Karnataka will be stopped at Ottinene, the northern border of the district, from tomorrow till the weigh bridge, removed by the mine owners association, was re-installed, Udupi BJP MLA K Raghupathy Bhat announced today.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that unlike the earlier 13 days protest of stopping overloaded manganese lorries organised by the district unit of BJP, the current indefinite stoppage of ore lorries would be apolitical and supported by the public, various organisations and parties, including the Congress.

The main aim of the stir was to protect the severely damaged national highways and the bridges of the district.

Mr Bhat said that every day over 1,000 overloaded manganese ore lorries from Bellary were moving on National Highway-17, passing Udupi and Dakshina Kannada to New Mangalore Port, causing severe damage to the roads and bridges. The National Highways department had submitted a report that eight bridges in the district have been totally damaged mainly due to the age factor and the movement of overloaded manganese lorries, he added.

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