The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Obstacles galore on roads, footpaths

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Saturday, Jul 26, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

Obstacles galore on roads, footpaths

Staff Reporter

Fallen trees, broken slabs, garbage all await the pedestrian

KOCHI: The delay in clearing impediments and encroachments from roads and footpaths in the city has been affecting the free and safe movement of motorists and pedestrians.

Apart from being eyesores, the impediments like fallen trees, rotting garbage, protruding and broken slabs and broken portions of concrete road medians that can be found at many places cause accidents. While the police say that they take immediate steps to clear such impediments from the road, these materials often remain unattended on the roadside for months together because civic agencies do not clear them. This forces pedestrians to walk through the road, meeting with accidents. Adding to their woes is vehicles parked on footpaths and no-parking zones, despite the police pressing into service recovery vehicles to tow them away.

Trees that were cut down near Deshabhimani Junction some time back are yet to be cleared and the blunt portion of the branches that were cut off protrude out into the road. Slabs have been laid out intermittently over footpaths on either side of the road leading to Palarivattom Junction from the bypass junction, catching pedestrians unawares especially at night. This is apart from the encroachments on the footpaths by vendors. Branches of trees and garbage dot many neatly-laid footpaths in the Fort Kochi heritage zone as well.

The Corporation has been unable to remove encroachments like the one at Panampilly Nagar junction, where a commercial establishment is said to have extended its compound wall into the road, blocking the free-left turn. Mayor Mercy Williams said that officials have been asked to inquire into the incident.

A problem unique to Kochi is transformers that protrude into the road at junctions. Such a transformer located at Jos Junction has become an obstacle to taking free-left turn from the M G Road towards the DH Road.

The traffic police have requested the KSEB to relocate it.

Another issue that crops up every monsoon is the delay in filling up potholes on roads. The Corporation, PWD and the NHAI are yet to get into action, despite the traffic police submitting a list of areas where potholes considerably slow down traffic and cause accidents.

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