KOCHI: For the past 15 years, the residents of Mulavukad have been battling for the development of the service road parallel to the International Container Terminal Road. The transportation woes due to the unfinished development of the four-and-a-half kilometre Mulavukad Road winding through the heart of the island continue to remain a hope for the island, which is home to nearly 20,000 people in 11 wards.
The residents of Mulavukad have been on an indefinite strike from June 18 onwards.
The commuters and the students depend on autorickshaws on a daily basis. “We have been on an indefinite strike and it has been 38 days, still no authorities have approached us to solve our problems. It is very difficult for the common people to reach the main road. Since the boat services have stopped, we depend on the autorickshaws they are increasing their rates each month. Students have to pay Rs 10-14 every day to reach the main road,” said Bindhu Sebastian, block panchayat member, Mulavukad.
The Congress Mandalam committee has launched an indefinite hunger strike at Goshree Junction from last month.
“The Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) has promised to finish the road development activities in 2 phases. Though the first phase of the work has been completed, the rest of the stretch up to Goshree Junction remains a narrow potholed and deteriorated with the onset of the monsoon. The panchayat is not taking proper actions to address the grievances of the residents,” said Prakash M P, a resident of Mulavukad.
Meanwhile, the panchayat officials have said that the GIDA has called on a council meeting at the end of this month to discuss over the development of the road. “Tender has been sanctioned for the development of the road from the military camp to Thandassery. The landowners are willing to surrender their lands. We will discuss the council and the residents before fixing the package rate,” said Viji Shajan, Mulavukad panchayat president.
“The residents of Mulavukad are willing to give away their land for the road development. The package they fixed was ten years ago, we are not willing to offer our lands for that amount. The council must revise the package, we are also against the maintenance work that the GIDA is planning to take up in the second phase. We demand the proper construction of the roads through the Mulavukad stretch,” said Bindhu.
GIDA authorities have said they will soon proceed with the work once the tender has been approved.