KOCHI: Kaloor, one of the busiest regions in Kochi, is a place with immense development potential. With a stadium of international standards, easy access to Metro Rail and public bus service and a railway station in the vicinity, Kaloor can easily be called the heart of the city.
But, the authorities don't think so. Or, how would one explain its present condition, with potholed roads, broken footpaths, traffic snarls and a clogged canal which overflows every monsoon?
Many infrastructure projects, mooted over the last few years, remain on paper.
Roads and traffic
The arrival of Metro Rail has done nothing to ease the traffic congestion at Kaloor. “Initially, there was a plan to convert Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road to a Metro hub by including a pedestrian pathway. But, the project is unlikely to materialise due to fund shortage and the focus now is on Water Metro,” said M G Aristotle, councillor, Kaloor South.
He says the congestion can only be reduced by widening the Pottakuzhi Road, which runs opposite the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road.
“When widening of Pottakuzhi road gets delayed, Kaloor sinks further into traffic congestion. The Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road is wide enough, but when the traffic gets severe, people use the Pottakuzhi Road which gets clogged due to lack of width. Depending on Metro services for commuting can alleviate the issue to an extent," he said.
Over bridges and skyways
Though a skywalk was mooted at Kaloor, lack of funds played spoilsport again. "The construction of skywalk was discussed at the Corporation budget. It will take some time for the funds to be sanctioned. The only way to start the project soon is to ensure government intervention so that funds are sanctioned without delay. Though the city is known as 'Metro City', there is a lot to improve when it comes to development,” he added.
Tattered roads and footpaths
Besides the congestion, the roads in the vicinity are in bad shape. The Sebastian Road and St Francis Xavier Church Road are in shambles after being dug up by the Kerala Water Authority to lay pipelines. With the onset of monsoon, the situation has worsened that pedestrians and commuters are finding it tough.
“The road from Kadavanthra to Vaduthala was dug up to lay pipe under the Amrut Project. The remaining works can be done only if we get the utility certificate. However, the issue came up in the last council and the Mayor gave permission to float tenders. Our efforts are to make the roads usable as soon as possible," says Aristotle.
Nonexistent footpaths
Another issue Kaloor faces is the lack of footpaths on the stretch near Metro station. Though it is the responsibility of the KMRL to build the footpaths, no effort has been taken by them.
According to sources, the KMRL has so far only completed the work from Kaloor to JNL Stadium. Unauthorised parking and heavy traffic also make it tough for pedestrians to negotiate the stretch.
“Kaloor is such a busy junction and this is the state of the roads now. The roadsides are illegally occupied by auto drivers. With the onset of monsoon, things will worsen. The authorities should end the blame game and do the needful to get the footpaths done at the earliest, " said Anil Kumar, a daily commuter.