Tripunithura roads choke with traffic

KOCHI: Even before the beginning of the Onam festival days, the narrow roads and junctions in Tripunithura have started to choke with traffic. Though the royal town has witnessed a series of developments in the past three decades, the width of the roads still remain the same. Lack of maintenance and illegal encroachments make commuting through the roads in Tripunithura a nightmare. The comprehensive infrastructure development plans prepared by the previous municipal council are yet to be realised.

More than 60 per cent of the footpaths in the busy statue junction and hospital road have been encroached upon by street vendors. Since, pedestrians are forced to walk on the roads they end up being victims of accidents. Over the years, efforts made by municipal councils to evacuate vendors from busy roads have failed.  Hawkers still thrive along the stretch from Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple to East Fort and private bus stand to Statue junction. Meanwhile, municipal chairperson R. Chandrika Devi told DC that all roadside and footpath vendors will be forcibly evacuated after the Onam season. The vendors will be asked to shift to the vacant place near the market.

“Road widening, junction improvement and evacuation of encroachers cannot be carried out without the support of political parties and other stakeholders. “It is a fact that the narrow roads and congested junctions need to be developed on a war- footing. But, the civic body alone cannot implement it as we face pressure from various sections against the evacuation of encroachers,” she said. But the chairperson added that she had no idea about the rehabilitation project for street vendors initiated by the previous council.