Bad roads in Kochi may ruin Onam

KOCHI: With Onam just a few days away, the city roads and streets continue to be in a poor condition with deep potholes and poor drainage systems. Only few roads in major shopping areas like MG Road are in good condition and all other roads even in city centre are in a dilapidated state. With Onam shopping about to hit top gear in the city, bad roads and intermittent rains will hit the prospects of traders, especially pavement sellers. The city traffic will come to a standstill if the badly damaged roads are not repaired on a war-footing. Commuting along the major roads like Vyttila – Petta Road, Thammanam – Pullepady Road and the Park Avenue Road have become a nightmare for motorists.

The added effect of additional vehicle inlow and subsequent traffic jams during festival days will have a cascading effect on suburban areas. The proven strategies of city traffic police authorities to handle the increased traffic might not be successful this year as the situation is different. “However, there has been a significant decrease in the number of shoppers from other parts of the district coming to the city for Onam purchase. Big shops and festival trade fairs have opened in suburban towns like Aluva, Tripunithura and Perumbavoor,” said Sameer M, a trader in the city.

Athachamayam to be hit

Pothole-ridden roads in Tripunithura will dampen the spirit of the famous Athachamayam celebration scheduled for August 25. Though the municipal authorities have urged the Public Works Department to do temporary maintenance works, nothing has happened. “PWD authorities have agreed to do emergency pothole filling works before the Athachama-yam. But they can’t start works due to intermittent rains. Though we submitted the request earlier, PWD officials said that they couldn’t carry out works due to the delay in getting bitumen,” said Chandrika Devi, municipal chairperson.