Alappuzha: The High Court appointed Amicus Curiae Vinod Bhat S who carried out a detailed inspection of the Aroor-Thuravoor stretch of NH 66 on Tuesday where work on elevated highway is progressing has said that his previous recommendations have not been fully complied with and that there was no visible progress on ground.
''I had submitted three recommendations that needed to be carried out urgently in my earlier report submitted at the beginning of this month. According to the collector’s report, the works should have been completed by July 16. My most recent visit on Tuesday was to evaluate the progress of that work,'' said Vinod Bhat. However, the Amicus Curiae was not impressed by what he saw during his latest visit.
''My first recommendation was to lay a 3.5 m wide motorable road in both directions. The construction company, Ashoka Builders, has done a fair enough job on the Aroor-Thuravoor stretch. But, when it comes to the Thurvaoor-Aroor stretch, the road continues to be in a deplorable condition,'' he said.
The second recommendation was to have a 1.5 m wide pathway on both stretches for pedestrian movement.
''It was most urgently required on the Aroor-Eramalloor stretch. However, I failed to find any such facility made for pedestrians. On the Thuravoor - Aroor portion I could see some semblance of a footpath on a 1.5 km stretch near Chandiroor. Other than this, I could see no other space earmarked for pedestrian movement on either side of the stretch,'' he said. The third recommendation in the report was to implement drainage solutions to address waterlogging concerns.
''When I visited the stretch on Tuesday, it was a few days since it had last rained. Rather than waterlogging, what I saw was thick dust that caused inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians alike. It was clear that no drainage solutions have been implemented,'' said Vinod Bhat.
Meanwhile, the Janakeeya Samithi formed in protest against the lackadaisical approach by the construction company towards ensuring adequate facilities for local traffic will form a human chain on July 30 to bring attention to the hardships faced by the local people.
