They complain that promises given by authorities in initial stage remain unfulfilled
They complain that promises given by authorities in initial stage remain unfulfilled
A section of local residents who handed over their prime land for the widening of National Highway-66 in the district have expressed strong concerns over the continuing uncertainty over the construction of a few service roads along some of the important stretches. They allege that the proposal for service roads, previously approved by the authorities while taking over the land, has been excluded for unconvincing reasons.
Mainly, the residents along the Vadakara-Azhiyoor stretch of the national highway are the complainants who claim that their access to the widened road will remain restricted along many stretches with the denial of service roads. They also feel that the denial is a breach of trust.
Some of the local residents at Kunhippally near Vadakara allege that the construction of a toll booth on the Mukkali-Kunhippally stretch is the main reason for skipping the service road. The unforeseen height difference of the widened stretch is also reportedly preventing the authorities from sanctioning service roads now, they allege.
Taxi operators from Chombal and Azhiyur villages point out that they would be forced to travel several kilometres extra to touch the national highway in the absence of proper service roads at the previously promised spots. Also, it will affect the local connectivity of people with various government offices, hospitals, and local body facilities, they argue.
“What we fear is the official endorsement of such a road widening work by the local administrators without considering the previous assurances,” said a 65-year-old merchant from Mukkali. He alleged that a private company entrusted with the road widening work in the area was hardly aware of the service road proposal.
Some local residents also complained that the interventions made by a few people’s representatives on the issue were also failing to work out. Though the contractors were receptive to the idea, the official plan without recommending service roads was playing spoilsport, they pointed out.
On the other hand, an engineer associated with the road supervision work said the increased number of service roads would affect the traffic flow apart from making it an accident prone route. He also pointed out that the alignment was planned after thorough studies and the local residents were aware of the risk factors involved in considering their demand.
