KOCHI : With the dangerous bend at Elamkulam on Sahodaran Ayyappan Road causing fatal accidents, the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) has decided to conduct a detailed study on the stretch, in an attempt to make it accident-free.
Speaking to TNIE, Ernakulam RTO K Manoj said a proper study of the stretch would be conducted soon. “Following back-to-back accidents, we have levelled the portion that was uneven on the stretch by scrapping the road. However, this alone is not enough to make the road accident-free,” said Manoj, adding that a proper road engineering study would be conducted and the complaints addressed.
With the death of a 23-year-old last month, the total number of lives lost in various accidents on the stretch between pillars 819 and 826 on the deadly bend has reached 10 since 2020, while more than 20 motorists have suffered severe injuries that left them disabled.
“The scientific study will be conducted based on recent accidents and the reasons behind them. If road engineering is the issue, we will recommend the government to make immediate course correction. The study will commence immediately after the Lok Sabha elections,” he said. As per the plan, the MVD would implement the steps recommended using the road safety fund. “We will discuss the matter with the department’s top officials. If everything goes well, the road safety fund will be used to make the stretch safe for motorists,” he said.
Meanwhile, the clamour for widening the metro stretch at Elamkulam junction is growing louder, courtesy the rising accidents. Since the area has a sharp curve and narrow passage, it is almost impossible for motorists to control their vehicles. An earlier study by the MVD suggested that only by widening the stretch between the two metro pillars can fatal accidents be prevented. NATPAC (National Transportation Planning and Research Centre) has also suggested redesigning the Elamkulam junction.
The report also suggests that the public works department, GCDA, Kochi Corporation, and other departments concerned install necessary safety measures, including speed-breakers, proper warning signs, and barricades to reduce the speed of vehicles. The stretch is one of the black spots identified by NATPAC in its studies in 2022.
“The road doesn’t have enough width from pillar number between 821-824. A vehicle that comes from Vyttila needs to be cautious due to the narrow lane. Steps should be taken to equally widen the road. It seems some of them have influenced the government to acquire less land on the stretch,” said a local person who runs a shop at Elamkulam junction.