THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The national highway from Kazhakoottam to Kovalam that was opened three years ago continues to be a dangerous stretch during night with the corporation taking little effort in installing street lamps. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is ready to provide No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the city corporation to install street lamps on the median of the NH 66 bypass from Kazhakoottam to Mukkola near Vizhinjam. During the night, the bypass stretch is a hotspot of accidents and crimes. Earlier, the NHAI had made it clear that placing and maintaining street lights are the responsibility of the city corporation.
“The local body concerned has to install streetlights by raising funds. The NHAI could only install lights at junctions at its own cost,” an NHAI officer said. Street lights have been a longstanding demand from techies in Technopark and residents living on both sides of the highway. Though a good number of techies are currently working at home due to pandemic, many demand the street lights as they could not travel smoothly through the highway at night. Most techies are staying at apartments and houses from Kazhakoottam to Venpalavattom.
“We had even approached the corporation and submitted a memorandum. But nothing has happened. The stretch poses threat to motorists at places like Kulathoor, Thampuranmukku, Akkulam and Venpalavattom,” said Rajeev Krishnan, secretary, Prathidhwani, a welfare organisation for the IT employees of Technopark. According to P Pradeep, NHAI project director the street lights on national highways are set up by the respective local bodies.
We cannot install streetlights on the entire stretch. We can install them on junctions, flyovers and places near toll plazas. However, we have installed lights on Kanjiramkulam junction and other small points at the yet-tobe commissioned in the Kovalam- Karode stretch, he said. Last year, former Mayor K Sreekumar promised to install street lamps before December last year.
However, nothing tur ned pos i t ive due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Mayor Arya Rajendran was unavailable for comment. The officials said the second wave of the pandemic and ensuing lockdown had played a spoilsport for the project. “We are prioritising the development projects. Right now, our focus is the containment measures to prevent Covid and Zika infections. We will definitely expedite measures to set up street lamps. Currently, NHAI has installed street lights at the Chackai flyover, near utoll plaza at Tiruvallam.