THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Talks on sexual intercourse or anything remotely related to it are probably the most awkward conversations, especially for conservative Indian parents. Now imagine some parents’ embarrassment in trying to explain contraceptives lying on the Kakkode Road in Kowdiar to their children. You heard it right, owing to the rainy season, piles of condoms have surfaced on the road making the journey through the stretch awkward for many pedestrians.
The story behind the deposition of condoms on the stretch dates back to two decades. “Back then, families residing in the area found it difficult to commute due to the absence of a proper road. A major concern was the inability to take pregnant women and patients to hospitals,” said 61-year-old J Rajappan, who made efforts to deposit soil to construct the road.
The soil used to level the land to construct the road at Kakkode was provided by HLL Lifecare, which is a major manufacturer of contraceptives. “HLL wanted a place to deposit their waste and we wanted a road. It was a one-shot-two-birds situation,” said Rajappan.
The road was thus constructed. It didn’t raise concerns until recently when piles of condoms began to surface, while the road was dug to install sewage pipes. “The road was dug right through the centre,” said 82-year-old Padmanaban Balan, who was also involved in the construction of the road.
On terms of anonymity, an official with HLL said the deposition of the contraceptives was not recent. “Most of the officials who were in charge are not in service now,” he said. Meanwhile, a spokesperson of HLL told Express, “Although we really don’t know what happened and since we maintain a neighbour-friendly policy, we are planning to clear the waste on the road.”
Roads to be constructed soon
As many as 45 families reside on the sides of Kakkode road. The tarred road here was dug to install sewage pipes in April. The residents raised their concern over their difficulty in commuting on the stretch. They say officials did not take initiatives to construct the road after installing sewage pipes. “The road can be used to travel to Oolampara and Kowdiar. However, during the rainy season, water gets clogged making the road difficult to commutable. We have been contacting the officials for a long time and no actions have been taken in this regard,” said Girija Devi, a resident.
Waste dumped
● Two decades ago, soil from HLL Lifecare was used to level the land to construct the Kakkode Road
● It was alleged that the soil brought from HLL contained waste materials including defective condoms
● The waste on the road didn’t raise concerns until recently when piles of condoms began to surface, while the road was dug to install sewage pipes