KOCHI: Scores of protesters, under the aegis of the National Highway Protection Council, on Monday staged a road blockade at Adimali, demanding immediate resumption of suspended road widening works on the Neriamangalam-Valara stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi NH85. The protest, which lasted nearly an hour, resulted in a massive traffic block at Adimali town. Agitators stopped a forest vehicle, shouting slogans, as police rushed in and pacified the protesters by sending the vehicle back.
“The state government is cheating the residents in the high range areas by submitting a false affidavit before the court, based on which the highway widening activities were suspended for the last three months.
Despite the fact that there existed a road for a long period on the stretch in question, the state refuses to file a new affidavit stating that the work is happening at the revenue land possessed by the PWD,” said P M Baby, chairman of the protection council, who inaugurated the protest.
The High Court on July 11 had suspended the road upgrading work on the 14.5-km stretch, citing issues with the “forest land” and lack of necessary approvals from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), based on a petition filed by Idukki-based environmentalist M N Jayachandran.
However, the residents and the NH protection council, argued that the widening is crucial for improving connectivity of the hill ranges with the main land.
