This road has cost councillor C.S. Sathyabhama dearly. She had no words to answer the questions posed by her electorate about the condition of the Athanikkal-Mini Bypass Link road. She raised the issue in the city Corporation council many times, only to get empty assurances.
All weapons in her kitty exhausted, the councillor went to the extent of slitting her wrist in front of the Mayor. A year after the incident, the problem still remains.
The road that connects Athanikkal to the Mini Bypass was fairly alright when Ms. Sathyabhama became councillor four years ago. One fine morning, someone dumped around 25 loads of quarry waste on the perfectly asphalted road, making it unfit for travel. Residents and road-users complained to the councillor who, in turn, raised the issue in the council.
“The road had a natural drainage system. It got blocked when people raised their plot using earth to build houses. They even blocked a drainage line. This created large-scale waterlogging. To solve the problem, they tried to level it with quarry waste without the Corporation’s permission and hence the mess,” Ms. Sathyabhama said. She had recently placed a fresh demand in the council to inspect the spot and do justice to the residents.
The council instructed an Assistant Engineer (AE) from the public works unit of the Corporation to inspect the place.
The AE had found violation of norms by certain people. In four years, the quarry waste, mostly sharp stones, had become rounded. The mud had been washed away in successive rains, sources said.
“Our demand is simple — clean the road and restore its original state. A survey should be taken up to ensure that public property has not been usurped by individuals. Natural drains should be made functional. New ones should be constructed towards the east, if necessary, to prevent waterlogging,” Ms. Sathyabhama said.
