Following a heavy spell of rain this monsoon, the Kakkanad-Pallikkara road is in a bad shape, posing a serious threat to life of motorists.
Ansal K. A., an autorickshaw driver in Kakkanad, says drivers are scared, especially after dark, to go to Athani, about a kilometre from the district collectorate, because they have to use the battered Kakkanad-Pallikkara road.
The road, which is not motorable, is a poor reflection on the Department of Public Works. It is an impossible obstacle to surmount for daily travellers according to Jithin Thampi, an IT company employee. “The road has been in poor condition even before the rains set in,” he said.
He uses his motorcycle to commute between Kakkanad and Kottappady daily. If for the motorists it is a back-breaking ride, the situation is worse for pedestrians because of there is no walkway to avoid the heavy traffic.
The situation has gone from bad to worse with the mud and sludge washed on to the road in the rain now drying up and raising clouds of dust as heavy vehicles pass.
Being a link to the hub of construction activities close to the Infopark and the upcoming SmartCity, the road sees heavy traffic. Most vehicles plying the road are tipper lorries carrying construction materials.
A senior official of the Department of Public Works said one side of the road was dug up even before the rains to lay a water pipeline to KINFRA Park at Edachira and restoration work was under way. However, the restoration work is in tatters as the stretch of the road between Kakkanad and Navodaya Junction lies on a steep slope. Storm water has carried off most of the materials used for resurfacing.
The PWD official claimed no work could be done until the rains stopped. But PWD authorities had reportedly assured protesting DYFI activists that work on restoration of the road would commence immediately.
Rajeesh C.A., DYFI’s Thengode zonal committee president, was among the activists who protested against the poor condition of the road on Monday.
The activists registered their protest by blocking the Athani Junction. Mr. Rajeesh said the road was at its worst at Novodaya Junction. Though PWD authorities assured the protestors that restoration work would begin, not much had been done over the past two days, he said.
