Kochi: The Kundannur-Aroor stretch is not as congested as the city roads, but vehicles plying through this section of the NH-47 bypass move at a snail’s pace, thanks to four traffic signals and a toll gate along the five-km long section. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has set up another traffic signal at Aroor Junction heeding to the demand of locals. This will be apart from traffic signals already present at Kundanur Jn, Madavana and Aroor Temple Junction.
“The signal has been set up at the Aroor Junction where the road from West Kochi converges with the main lane. The locals have been demanding a signal for long as there are at least two schools in the area, besides a church and various business establishments,” said a senior NHAI official.
However, the authorities do not seem to be bothered about a more pressing issue — the lack of streetlights from Madavana to Aroor, including the 900-metre long Aroor bridge. “The lack of streetlights is resulting in many mishaps especially in the Kumbalam area where a private bus turned turtle a week back. However, despite our request no measure is being taken,” said D. Manikuttan, a local.
However, the NHAI and the Aroor panchayat are putting the onus on each other. “We’ve set up the street lamps till Madavana Jn. In the rest of the stretch it’s the local panchayat which should take up the work as no fund is allotted to us,” the official said.
