THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The busy Thaliyal-Karamana stretch cuts a sorry figure with the potholes growing bigger every year. And with the procession of Navaratri idols set to pass through the road this year too, the residents fear, the traffic in the area will come to a standstill.
The idols of Goddess Saraswati from Padmanabhapuram Thevarakkett (in a palanquin), the idol of Kumaraswamy from Velimalai Murugan temple (on a silver horse)and the idol of Munnuttinanga from Sthanumalayan temple (on a caparisoned elephant) will be brought together to the city for the festival next month as a ritual which has been followed for centuries. The inter-state ritual procession, with over 150 people escorting the idols and people carrying them will reach the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, which is the final destination, after covering 100 kilometers in three days time.
“It’s been two years since I requested officials to fix the road. The road is significant as the Kumaraswami and Saraswati processions pass through this road,” said Karamana Ajith, councillor. He added that the government allotted a budget of Rs 2 crores to fill the potholes.
According to the villagers, development in the area has been moving at a snail’s pace. There is no move from the part of the PWD to call the tender for this project. There are allegations that contractors are not willing to take up the tender because it would be difficult to finish the project in the allotted budget. “The improvement of Karamana Thaliyal Kalady Road project covers only 2 kms. The tender will be opened by next month hopefully. The contractors are showing disinterest in taking up the project”, said Sajeev, AE, PWD.
The road also has a cultural connectivity attached to it. With 18 streets, the Karamana agraharam is the oldest Brahmin colony in the city and the Thaliyal road goes right in front through the agraharams. “It is a serious issue that the idol procession and the followers have to navigate their way through the damaged road”, said Ramanandan, a resident.