KOCHI: With the monsoon setting in, concerns are mounting over the condition of the Neriamangalam-Valara stretch of National Highway 85, where road widening has remained suspended for nearly a year, leaving portions of the highway dug up and several ancillary works incomplete.
The 14.5-km stretch forms part of the Rs 910-crore project to upgrade the Kochi-Munnar section of the highway. However, work has been at a standstill since July 11, 2025, when the High Court stayed construction following a PIL alleging environmental damage and the absence of requisite clearances for work on forest land.
Residents and commuters say the prolonged halt has left the stretch in a precarious condition. “The road is dug up, drainage work is incomplete, and commuters are facing hardship every day. With the rains setting in, the situation will only worsen,” said P M Baby, chairman of a people’s committee formed to expedite the project.
Indeed, drainage work initiated as part of the widening project remain unfinished, while sections of the road that were excavated before the stay continue to pose difficulties for motorists. Additionally, the incomplete construction of paved shoulders and retaining structures has also raised concerns.
The matter assumes significance given how the road is the ambulance pathway for people in the high ranges seeking medical assistance. “Leaving the road so is dangerous for ambulances plying on this stretch. The authorities must at least see that adequate repairs are initiated before monsoon gathers strength,” Baby said.
The delay in the road work triggered protests in the region in recent months and was a political hot-button during the recent Kerala assembly polls.
“Many of us stayed away from exercising our franchise as a form of protest against the indifference of the authorities. Ahead of the polls, we had met with V D Satheesan, and he had been kind to hear our concerns. We hope the matter will be taken up urgently,” Baby said.
According to him, reports submitted before the court and findings of a panel constituted by the district administration established that the stretch does not pass through notified forest land and that there is no dispute over the corridor.
“However, subsequent government orders have only complicated matters and delayed the resumption of work,” Baby added.
The stalled stretch remains one of the key bottlenecks in the broader NH85 upgrade, much of which has progressed elsewhere.
For now, however, motorists travelling between Kochi and Munnar continue to bear the brunt of a project left unfinished midway.