Alappuzha: The residents of Kuthiathode near Cherthala took out a protest march on Wednesday complaining about the lacklustre work carried out by the company working on a 12-km elevated highway, over National Highway 66, connecting Aroor and Thuravur.
“The company officials say repair works on the service road from Aroor to Thurvur is complete. But the work is incomplete, to say the least. In no way can it be called travel-friendly. This has caused much resentment among the public,” said Saneesh Payikkad, secretary of Kuthiathode Janakiya Samithi.
When the road was widened to enable the construction of the elevated highway, it was done at the cost of the drainage system that used to carry the stormwater. As a result, intermittent rains result in water-logging. “The company officials say the local body must fix the drainage issue. They are also helpless that the weather has not been favourable to carry out the repair works,” Saneesh said.
The protest was inaugurated by retired District Judge Advocate M. Leelamony and was attended by ex-MLA Shanimol Usman and social activist Benny Joseph. It ended after company officials assured that tiles would be laid wherever possible on the service roads and that sufficient space would be allocated for buses to halt without hindering traffic.
