THRISSUR: District administration has filed a statement in the High Court in favour of the pedestrian underpass on the six-lane Vadakkenchery – Mannuty toll way at Mulayam Junction. The move of the district administration comes in wake of a petition filed by a group of local residents and shopkeepers at the junction in the High Court against the underpass, which is the first of its kind to be approved by NHAI in Kerala owing to public protest. Additional district magistrate C.K. Anantha Krishnan told DC that that the district administration had sent the statement on Wednesday and was in favour of the pedestrian underpass with 7-meter width and 2.5 metre height through which pedestrians, light vehicles and small trucks could pass.
PWD minister G. Sudhakaran had earlier taken a stand that the final call would be taken by the collector and district administration by assessing the ground realities. As many as 900 families in the locality had demanded an underpass considering the accidents that occur while vehicles and pedestrians cross roads in the toll ways in the state without proper underpasses and had been fighting for it for the past few years. However, many including shopkeepers at the junction are against the underpass with its proposed dimensions citing that they need only a pedestrian underpass with steps and vehicles such not enter the underpass.
