Residents of Gandhi Nagar raise concerns over raised sewage manholes on P V Antony Road

The passengers complain that autorickshaws have no choice but to coast over the protrusions.
Motorists passing through the P V Antony Road that has protruding manholes constructed at the centre of the road
Motorists passing through the P V Antony Road that has protruding manholes constructed at the centre of the road (Photo | T P Sooraj, EPS)
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KOCHI: The residents of Gandhi Nagar, in the heart of the city, heaved a sigh of relief on learning that the nearly three-km P V Antony Road was being relaid. But their joy was short-lived, as they now have to endure a bumpy ride post the stretch getting a new coat of tar.

The reason: unscientific construction of sewage manholes at the centre of the road that connects the Salim Rajan Road with the Sahodaran Ayyappan Road at Kadavanthra.

“The manholes have been constructed, every 50 metres, at a height above that of the road all along the stretch, from near the Matha Nagar Church all the way up to the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kadavanthra. That has turned the stretch accident-prone,” said Seema George, who resides in Gandhi Nagar.

“Vehicles make sudden, evasive manoeuvres to avoid the raised manholes, catching those behind unawares. Also, such sudden skewing to the side can put two-wheelers and pedestrians at risk. Usually, such constructions are done at road-level. But here, they are protruding,” said Praveen Kumar, an autorickshaw driver operating from the Ernakulam South railway station.

The passengers too now complain when autorickshaws have no choice but to coast over the protrusions, he said. “It also increases the maintenance expenses for vehicles,” he rued. The residents have taken up the issue with local councillor Bindu Sivan. “We’ve conveyed the matter to the CSML (Cochin Smart Mission Ltd) authorities who are developing the stretch,” the councillor said.

When contacted, the CSML authorities assured that the problem would be solved soon. “While we laid the first coat of tar, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) constructed the sewers. Another layer of tar will be laid on the stretch and the road height will be further increased by three centimetres. The problem will be solved with the next tarring,” a senior CSML official said.

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