Kochi: A small portion along the National Highway at Palarivattom caved in, forming a deep pothole. As residents staged a protest, traffic along the road was affected for nearly three hours. The incident happened at 1.30 pm when residents and Yuva Morcha activists demanded immediate action to fill the pothole formed near metro Pillar '525'. "The road was tarred only a week ago. It shows the careless attitude of the authorities," said Yuva Morcha district secretary Anil Kumar Edapally.
Soon, officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the cops reached the spot. The protesters were forcibly removed and eight of them were taken into custody. "There was a coil of cable underneath the surface creating a hollow space. The road caved because of that. We have excavated coil out and did the concrete filling before opening the road for traffic," a DMRC official said.
