Traffic along the Karamana-Kaliyikavila road was blocked for almost three hours on Saturday morning following a road blockade by the district committee of the BJP to protest against the delay in widening of the stretch.
BJP workers blocked the road at Pappanamcode, Balaramapuram, Neyyattinkara and Parassala. The police arrested the party workers in the last three places when they refused to disperse. At Pappanamcode, the protestors continued to squat on the road after talks with officials of the PWD failed to yield results.
Party district president Karamana Jayan, who inaugurated the blockade at Pappanamcode, said the blockade was called off after Transport Minister V.S. Sivakumar spoke to him over phone and gave an assurance that the widening would be taken up without delay.
Mr. Jayan urged the government to include the road widening project in the Chief Minister's action plan for the first year of the UDF regime and announce a compensation package for the people to be displaced for the project. He said that the BJP would spearhead an agitation to press the demands.
BJP district general secretary Venganoor Satheesh inaugurated the blockade at Balaramapuram and district vice-president Athiyannoor Sreekumar at Neyyatinkara while State committee member Balachandran inaugurated the agitation at Parassala.
