National Highway bypass risky sans trees, cams

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With street lights being removed and trees being chopped for National Highway bypass development, the stretch between Kulathoor and Kovalam has become more accident prone, say police officers and local residents. Tricky road alignment coupled with absence of streetlights and reflectors that were stuck on trees has made the stretch dangerous.

Frequent mishaps are common between Incha-kkal and Kallumoodu were road takes curve. So is the case at Pachalloor and Kova-lam junction where bypass presently ends. “Most places from Inchakkal anyways barely had lights. The few sodium vapour lamps that gave us point of reference don’t exist now. There were speed cameras at Karikkakom and the ones at Muttathara is inactive. Now one by one they are being relocated for highway development making it more dangerous,” says advocate Nithin Raj a local resident.

With trees removed, motorists get an illusion that road has become wide though it has become dangerous. “We have deployed teams on road to check speeding during the morning. Abuse of high beam light becomes an issue when there is no street light. We will ask NHAI to put some reflector bands on places where trees have been removed,” a police official attached to Poothura police station said.

The NHAI officials blame it on drivers who precariously swerve past machinery and workers with no respect to warning boards. “We give utmost importance to safety. Even while chopping trees for widening only a minute or two is taken to completely clear the trees from road. Several workers with chain saw cut them into pieces and before trees are moved vehicles rush past putting everyone in danger. Once work is completed road will have more lights and reflectors than it used to,” said an NHAI official.