Hundreds of people, including children and senior citizens, lined up for a protest at Vellimadukunnu on Sunday against the delay in constructing a new bridge across the Poonoor river.
The protesters, among them workers of all political parties, formed a human chain from Vellimadukunnu to Parambil Bazaar in the evening to draw the attention of the government to the issue.
Traffic on Wayanad Road was blocked for nearly five minutes. Later, the protesters moved from the main road following a request by the police.
The protesters said they had been waiting for the Poolakkadavu bridge for the past two decades. There was no intervention from the State government. They said the existing bridge was suitable only for pedestrians and two-wheelers. A new bridge was vital for better connectivity.
Pradeep Kumar and Pushpangadan, coordinators of the people’s action council, said a new bridge would ensure faster access to the Kozhikode medical college hospital and the nearby panchayats. Also, it would help decongest the the Balussery-Kozhikode route. The action committee leaders said a new bridge was a long-pending demand of people from the Kuruvattur panchayat. All the connecting roads to the existing bridge were in good condition and the government would have to fund only the new bridge, they said.
M.K. Raghavan, MP, and A. Pradeepkumar, MLA, addressed a convention organised at the end of the human chain.
