Kochi: Angling, the favourite pastime of West Kochiites, is back on the old and new harbor bridges at Thoppumpady, and is posing a threat to bike riders.
The local natives’ hobby, which has often put riders in danger owing to the unsafe ways, almost cost a life on Wednesday on the new harbor bridge as a string and its hook came off an anglers’ rod to coil around a bike.
Had the biker, an employee of the Willingdon Island unit of the Fertilizers And Chemicals Travancore Ltd. (FACT), not stopped his bike immediately he might also have been thrown from the bike when the string tightened.
“The string came out of nowhere. Since it had a lead block to weigh down the hook it might have came off when the angler pulled the string from the water. It instantly got tied on the handle and silencer of my bike and I almost fell down,” said Ayyappan Pillai, the victim.
However the police is yet to take any action and ban angling on the busy bridges, according to regular bridge-users. The cops had banned it last year after a woman was injured in a similar way. When an angler pulled the string from the water carelessly, the hook had struck the woman’s neck, which made a deep cut. Her scooter was also toppled in the accident.
When asked about the trend that has returned, Thoppumpday sub inspector M.K. Sajeev said he would take necessary steps. “It was banned last season after the accident. We visit the bridge often and shoo-off anglers. Since it is causing problems this time too, we will try to impose the ban again,” he said.
