Buses on the Kanjani-Chavakkad route kept off the road on Wednesday in protest against the awfully pathetic condition of the road. The bus strike called by an umbrella organisation of bus employees was total.
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The pothole-riddled road cannot be used anymore, the striking bus employees, who protested against the inordinate delay in repairing the road, said. They threatened indefinite agitation if the authorities did not act. The strike created problems for the students and workers, who depend on the buses.
The ordeal of the people in the route started when the road was dug up for laying pipes to Guruvayur for the Amrutham project four years ago. Huge cracks developed on the road and accidents became frequent. Many people stopped taking their vehicles out.
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The elected representatives failed to take any proactive steps even after continued protests by people. The water authority and the Public Works Department indulged in a blame game when the ordeal of people continued. They competed with each other to delay the work, the people alleged.
Recently, the High Court asked the government to give an explanation why it was not allotting money for repairing the Thrissur-Kanjani Road. The government had allotted only a token amount of ₹100 for the work, which needed ₹234 crore.
The work got delayed for more than 15 years, said KPCC secretary Shaji Kodankandath, who approached the High Court for the repair of the road, which connects Thrissur to NH66.
The project is to widen the 16-km-long Thrissur-Kanjani-Vadanappally road to 17 metre. However, fund has not been allotted for acquiring the land for widening.