Alappuzha: Traffic on the congested Aroor-Thuravur NH stretch came to a standstill on Tuesday after a truck bearing logs tipped over after falling into a puddle-filled hole on the roadside at Aroor.

“We had hoped that the situation would improve after the repair works, but instead, it has worsened,” said Saneesh Payikkadan, local councillor and secretary of Janakiya Samithi formed to address the travel woes on the stretch.

The company involved in the construction work of the elevated highway carried out repairs on the service roads according to the instructions of the High Court. But “the work is not up to standards. The company has deceived the public and the authorities with their repair work. In many places, huge holes have formed on roadsides filled with mud and water. It was on one such hole that the truck tipped over. If it were a two-wheeler, a major portion would have sunk into the puddle,” said Saneesh.

The Jankiya Samithi plans to organise a protest on Thursday by blocking the elevated highway works. “We have no choice. The company is not heeding the orders of even the High Court, the Amicus Curiae, or the district authorities,” Saneesh said.