KANNIYAKUMARI: The pathetic condition of the 56 km national highways road from the Kerala border in Kaliyakkavilai to Kanniyakumari has been troubling vehicle users, and has resulted in protests.
Though authorities have been saying that restoration work would be carried out on the NH road from Kaliyakkavilai to Kanniyakumari, it has not begun so far. Memes and jokes on the sorry state of the road has been surfacing on social media. Besides, shop owners downed their shutters at Marthandam last week and staged protest.
DMDK West District secretary L Iden Sony said the road was mostly damaged between Kaliyakkavilai and Nagercoil, and has been so for long. We have been conducting protests to restore the roads, but the work has not started, causing frequent and fatal accidents.
The DMDK announced that it is planning to stage a rally from Kalliyakkavilai, urging to relay the road. VCK Central Distinct secretary SE Mesiya said the stretch was heavily damaged neat Marthandam overbridge, Thuckalay and Manali among other places. Due to the pathetic condition of the road, ambulances could not move fast near Manali. The tender process should be expedited, he said.
NTK Central District secretary S Seelan alleged that vehicles laden with minerals plying on the road towards Kerala, was the main cause for the damage. We had already submitted a petition to the district administration and the Kanniyakumari MP for restoration of the damaged road.
He noted that the party would stage a protest if the damaged road was not restored soon. When contacted by TNIE, an NH official said that Rs 14.8 crore was allotted for restoration at the damaged portions. The work would be carried out at the most damaged stretches such as Padanthalamoodu, Marthandam, Thuckalay, Edalakudy and Mantharamputhur among others.
The technical bid would be conducted on Monday, after which the price bid would ensue. Once the tender process was completed, the restoration work would begin, the official added.