In the absence of enough rain, dust has the last say in the state of affairs on Mavoor Road in Kozhikode. One can see motorists hiding behind scarves and masks to escape the dust that almost blinds them while plying on the Thondayad – Chevayur stretch of Mavoor Road.
The condition of this stretch is an excellent example of what would happen without proper coordination between various departments. Just a year ago Mavoor Road was one of the best roads in the city.
Around April, the road was dug up to lay pipelines for Kerala Water Authority’s Japan aided drinking water project for the city. The huge trenches on the road left little space for vehicles to ply from Medical College to the city, resulting in the loss of some lives as well.
Councillor of Chevayur ward of the Corporation Vidya Balakrishnan attributes the situation to lack of proper communication between KWA and PWD or the Kozhikode Corporation.
If contacted, the KWA would have known that they were digging in a space allotted for the pillars for Monorail Project, she said.
After a lot of protests and pleas, the KWA filled the trenches. However, local people complain that the filling was quite unscientific.
“It was filled with mud. Then they applied fine powdered granite on it. The powder spread in the air causing a fog like situation on the road”, said Ashok Kumar, a resident of the region. Also, the filled trenches have not been levelled properly. As a result motoring is a nightmare on this stretch, especially for two-wheeler riders, he added.
As the pipeline work is yet to be completed, the PWD cannot repair the road immediately, despite the protests of the local people.
The Kozhikode Corporation passed a resolution in May to appeal to the State government to repair it.
“There should be some rule to ban digging of the roads by KWA, KSEB and the telephone companies just before the rains. If the works are done in January of February, there will be enough time before the rains to repair the road,” Ms.Balakrishnan said.
