Tripunithura town, with its roads besieged by the rising numbers of vehicles, people and shopping complexes, is on the brink of bursting at the seams.
The width of roads, parking spaces and pedestrian walkways have steadily decreased even as the town is sporting an upwardly mobile look with the onslaught of new shops and old shops going in for a snazzy makeover.
Pedestrian space is completely missing on some stretches, like the one from Statue Junction to East Fort Junction where quite a few shops are jutting onto the road.
With street vendors taking up some more on the footpaths, there is absolutely no space for pedestrians.
The municipality does not have the authority to take up development of roads at two crucial junctions, Statue and East Fort, says R. Venugopal, chairman of the municipal council. The Public Works Department (PWD) and the Revenue Department in the district have to provide the blueprint for development, he says.
The official in-charge of PWD (Roads), Tripunithura, says developing the two junctions is on the agenda and administrative sanction is awaited for tile-laying work at the newly acquired areas at both junctions.
V.P. Prasad, president of Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents’ Associations, says the lax attitude of the PWD is affecting development works in the town. The road construction work awarded before Onam is yet to be completed.
The association will take up the issue after waiting for 10 more days, says Mr. Prasad.
Though the Revenue Department moved in to clear unauthorised constructions on government land at Statue Junction, one of the seven shops could not be removed because of an old court order which had directed the PWD to file a reply. However, the PWD official says the case is expected to be settled soon.
