As one side of the Nadakkavu-Koothattukulam
highway is muddy now, KSRTC bus plunging into the pipe-line canal on Monday, June
17, 2013 when the monsoon is in its full swing
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The highway with the abrupt curves,
heaps and slope was already a risky path for the public to commute on daily
basis therefore, there had been huge campaigns and agitation from the local
civics on tunneling the Nadakkavu-Koothattukulam highway for Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal
Mission (JnNURM) to reach drinking water for Kochi from Piravom River. But blindly
closing the eyes to all these protests and campaigns, K. Babu, Minister for
Fisheries, Ports and Excise, nodded for the already-delayed pipe-laying project
to woo the voters of his constituency and thus to have an easy win for the coming
election.
Nadakkavu-Koothattukulam highway is made an inland waterway of accidents where so many accidents are being reported as one side of the road is muddy now and heavy vehicles and buses started to plunge into the pipe-line canal as the monsoon is in its full swing. I strongly, feel that if late Minister, T. M. Jacob, were alive there, this would not have been the current scenario of the road. Anoop Jacob being the first-time minister from Piravom constituency, where the road is made a canal now on the name of JnNURM project, can’t have strong bargaining with the senior minister, K. Babu.
Pathetic of all this is the road
from S. N. Junction to Kizhakkekotta in Trippunithara that was dug up for
pipe-laying work by the Kerala Water Authority, this even can’t be called a
road, it is full of potholes, damaged culverts and journeying through this road
more like going for vehicle trekking.
As one’s comfort is another’s
discomfort, it is mere the fate of the public who tour on a daily basis from
Kanjirapilli, Pala, Kottayam, Koothattukulam, Elanji and Piravam regions to
Kochi for job and business purposes. The already existing traffic woes were
made even miserable. The work was started off with the promise of tarring the
road as and when a length of 1km pipe-laying works completed and nothing is
done so far. All the promises given by Minister, K. Babu, are gone with wind
and heavy rain. To keep the protesters soothed, the work was kick started near
A. P. Varkey Hospital where the road has maximum width. When the pipe-laying
was in progress there was awful traffic congestion and it was difficult for the
professionals and business men working in Kochi to be punctual in office as
well as it took extra hours to get back home.
The amount of time and energy of a
passenger being wasted are enormous and how all these could be paid off. The passengers
are not demanding for road widening or making it curve-free but at least the authorities
have the responsibility to maintain it, as it has been. The passengers who tour
on daily basis from Kanjirapilli, Pala, Kottayam, Koothattukulam, Elanji and Piravom
regions do not come in his (who initiated the entire project) vote bank so even
if they are screwed up, his election result is not going to be affected. Above
all, these passengers are not getting any benefit out of the whole project
whereas only woes, being late to office as well as to home, wasting of their time
and energy. Public from these regions have only choice for commute is on road,
there is no railway nor water way.
Thus, now the passengers travel same
kilometers with long hours of journey. When the Ministers; MPs and MLAs, who
travel in the luxury vehicle with police escort that too the general public clearing
off the way for the ‘busy politicians’ who travel far and wide ‘supposedly’ to emancipate
the general public, will see the real misery of a common man? These same
leaders define politics as; it is all about serving people and who is served
here.... rather… common man is getting screwed
up.
With the prayers and wishes that the
concerned authority will open up their eyes and come out of their comfort zone
and see the real languishes of common man………….
ReplyDeletehats off to "Reasoning I"
There has been a minimum amount of awakening with regard to the crisis of ordinary commuters in the local region. The crisis is not the crisis of a single event. The people of Kerala has been exposed to this kind of 'so called developmental projects - nuances previously. The reason behind this kind of continued atrocities of the elite is the negligence from a voiceless social grouping. we are tide up in the cozy world of individual easiness. we fail to raise voice against social schizophrenia- in the tag of "good, better and the best". wait for ages or be a catalyses. Good luck.