With the monsoon setting in, traffic signals in Aluva have started closing their eyes one by one. Three important signals on the national highway have not been working for the past one week.
Pulinchod junction, Bypass and Paravur Kavala are said to be the busiest junctions in the area, and the signals at these junctions have conked out ever since the onset of rain.
Even during sunny days, vehicles jostle for space on this road. There have been instances when out-of-order signals have resulted in heavy traffic snarls in the area.
A tourist car operator said that car drivers depend solely on traffic signals and reflectors on roads during rainy seasons.
With water lashing heavily on the windscreen the visibility would reduce to a minimum on such occasions. Flickering yellow lights in the middle of the road are the only signs that indicate that we are heading in the right direction, he said.
The authorities are least concerned about the problem, complained Chinnan Poikayil, a social activist. He said that the traffic department was aware of the faulty signals much before monsoon.
Babu Varghese, member, the town action forum, said that traffic has doubled, ever since the schools have reopened for the year. About 20 schools with a total capacity of 20,000 children function around the area, he said.
The officer-in-charge of traffic in Aluva, SI K K Subrahmanian, said that directions have been given to repair the three signals. It is usual for the power cables that connect the signals to get breached at several points during the season, he said. Big companies tend to sponsor signals at the main junctions for publicity. Although Ramco Cements, Chettinad Cements and Muthoot Finance have set up traffic signals in Aluva, they seldom care for its maintenance.
