A couple of years ago, a working woman returning home after the day’s work was tailed by a motorcyclist along the pitch-dark Container Terminal Road.
She couldn’t shake him off who appeared to follow her ominously till a few fellow motorists came along. The ‘stalker’ then sped off.
Things haven’t changed much about the 16-km-long road linking Bolghatty with Kalamasserry yet as it continues to be as dark as it used to be since it was commissioned, thanks to the lack of street lights.
“We have approached the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) countless times on the issue. We have sponsors willing to fund the lighting of the service road but NHAI hasn’t yet given permission for that. We are planning to meet the new District Collector shortly in this regard,” said Akbar V.S, Mulavukad panchayat president.
NHAI had agreed almost two years ago to install street lights, possibly powered by solar power, along the road following widespread demand from local residents, motorists, and the police in the wake of fatal accidents and crimes committed under the cover of darkness. But nothing has happened as yet.
Usually, installing street lights is considered the responsibility of the local bodies through which the highway passes. However, NHAI had decided to buck the precedent and agreed to install street lights as an exception in view of the demand from various quarters. The agency was even supposed to conduct a feasibility study almost a year ago. NHAI sources could not be reached despite repeated attempts to know the status of the project.
“Every time we approach NHAI on the matter, they keep repeating that the tender is ready. But nothing seems to be happening even as the road remains a safe haven for dumping waste and even criminal activities,” said A.D. Sujil, chairperson of Eloor municipality, another local body through which the highway passes.
There have been instances in which even toilet waste was dumped along the largely deserted and unlit road in the night. In one instance, the irate public even caught a lorry found dumping toilet waste along the road and burnt it in protest.
“For unfamiliar motorists, the vehicle breaking down while riding along the Container Terminal Road during the night could be a nightmare, Getting stranded in a completely unlit road could be really scary,” said Pramod, a resident of Mulavukad.
