THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The road that leads from Ambalamukku to Paruthippara has been in a shambles for almost six months now. With recurring issues of pipe burst and water scarcity in some areas in the stretch, vehicle and pedestrian movement has been much affected. The stretch is notorious for waterlogging as it was once a wetland which creates enormous ruts and trenches. There is a substantial vehicular movement hare and patients from Peroorkada and beyond take this route to the Medical College, besides thousands of students to M. G. College and Mar Ivanios College.
It has become virtual death traps for pedestrians and two-wheelers with potholes all over. It needs a significant amount of perseverance for the motorists to evade potholes. The risk of two-wheeler riders being thrown off after hitting the rut has increased. They often swerve the vehicle to avoid potholes resulting in accidents. A top official of Kerala Water Authority told DC that they are trying to complete the pipe laying by the end of May before the monsoon sets in.
"Three works are going on the 8.2 km stretch between Ambalamukku - Ulloor at Rs 4.5 crore. Ambalamukku - Paruthipara (on both sides separate pipes are being laid), Muttada - Kesavadasapuram (Primo pipe) and Ambalamukku - Ulloor is also soon going to get a rider line where new pipes would be laid", he told DC.
Interestingly, the road between Kesavadasapuram - Ulloor comes under National Highway, and they are yet to get the permission to dig for pipe laying from the NH authorities.
The inordinate delay has been attributed to the issues between KWA and public works department to dig the road. Another KWA official said contractors were also not keen to take up work on Ambalamukku - Paruthipara stretch as they are unable to deliver quality. The government had given administrative sanction only two years ago, and the work started six months ago. "Ambalamukku - Ulloor stretch belongs to Kerala Road Fund Board, PWD and NH sections. The existing pipe on this stretch dates back to more than four decades. Whenever there is a pipe burst in the area only the affected area gets repaired," he told DC.
Currently, domestic water connections are getting shifted, which is time-consuming. Then they would have to complete one more side of the road work from Ambalamukku - Paruthippara. Once this is over, then the PWD will kick off the road surfacing. The lack of coordination between PWD, KWA, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and the Kerala State Electricity Board also result in its digging immediately after resurfacing.
Residents blame Water Authority
Locals are peeved with the lackadaisical attitude of the Kerala Water Authority for the inordinate delay in completing the pipe repair works on the Ambalammukku - Paruthippara stretch. They vented their ire at KWA officials on numerous occasions which saw local Congress MLA K. Muraleedharan intervening in the issue. KWA has since promised the various residents associations in the area that pipe-laying and road resurfacing would be completed before the South West monsoon in June.
70-year-old Kunjamma Thomas has been living in the area since 1991. She says the road has not been fine ever since she moved into her home. "This particular road has always been in a bad condition. But over the last six months it has been utter chaos. I have severe bodyache as there is no way my car can evade the potholes. My car is being frequently taken to the workshop due to the poor condition of the road", said Kunjamma Thomas. She is not alone as another neighbour of hers, Girly John too ranted against the authorities for being lax. Ever since Girly moved into the area 25 years ago, she says it always had potholes.
"A few days ago, the road resembled a canal as water was all over the area when the KWA's pipe-laying faced some issues. I do not want to think of the condition of the roads once the summer showers start. My husband, P. V. John and I walk around with surgical masks to avoid respiratory issues", said Girly John. The residents in the area are now hoping that the promise given by Muraleedharan MLA to make the stretch motorable by May 31 will be kept.
