KOCHI: It’s no accident! It’s cold-blooded murder! The employees of various companies at Infopark who had gathered for a candlelit vigil to honour the memory of 28-year-old Akshara A in Kakkanad were unanimous. A senior consultant with EY, the 28-year-old lost her life after being knocked down and run over by a private bus on Wednesday.
“We will not stop with this vigil,” said Anish Panthalani, senior IT engineer, volunteer and social activist. “Progressive Techies is also thinking of filing a public interest litigation (PIL). It was not an accident. Akshara was murdered. Rash driving by private buses, made worse by the narrow roads in the city, has left pedestrians with little options,” he said.
According to Manu Pradeep, president of the Kochi chapter of Progressive Techies, a collective of IT professionals, it’s a miracle we reach home every day in one piece. “However, luck didn’t favour Akshara. The narrow roads and heavy traffic, compounded by the rash driving of private buses, have made navigating the roads here difficult and fraught with danger,” he said.
Varun Kumar V, operations head at Lulu IT Parks, pointed out that for a district with the richest municipalities in the state, the measures undertaken to improve road infrastructure are pathetic. “We need wider roads and more footpaths. Due to lack of sidewalks, pedestrians are pushed onto roads and forced to dodge oncoming vehicles,” he said.
Krishna Vinod wants authorities to put an end to the reckless driving of private buses. “A system needs to be put in place. One that won’t give in to private bus drivers’ excuse of speeding to be on time. Also, punishing errant drivers won’t prove effective. They might be jailed, but the very next day bus owners will recruit another driver and the vehicle will ply as usual,” he said.
For a thoroughfare that is the main road to Puthencruz, the traffic system on State Highway 41 remains pathetic and poorly planned, said Koshy Thomas, chief administrative officer of Sanskara School in Infopark. According to him, more than two lakh commuters use the road every day. “However, the traffic-management system is very poor. There are no U-turn markings!” Progressive Techies has decided to sustain the campaign until demands are heard.
