KANNIYAKUMARI: A damaged stretch of the Nagercoil-Kaliyakkavilai road under the control of the NHAI is causing hardship to motorists, especially two-wheeler riders.
The damaged section is between Kanniyakumari and Kaliyakkavilai, close to the border of Kerala. Thousands of vehicles, including inter-state vehicles, ply on the road.
There is high vehicular density on this stretch as the NHAI’s four-laning work has not been completed in Kanniyakumari district.
A heavily damaged section is near the railway overbridge at Parvathipuram in Nagercoil.
A two-wheeler rider, A Mohamed Hasan, who travels on the road most days, said, “The road is in a very poor state at Chunkankadai, Villukurichi, Thottiyodu and other places between Nagercoil and Thuckalay. The road got damaged again despite patch work a few months back.”
He claimed the suspension system of his bike got damaged after frequent rides on the ruined road.
NTK state functionary S Seelan said the road is in ruins between Nagercoil and Padanthalumoodu.
He blamed the poor quality of roadwork and the plying of trucks carrying granite and minerals for the condition of the road. The state government should take measures to relay the road, he added.
Former president of the Congress west district unit, VM Binulal Singh, said that the stretch between Kaliyakkavilai and Nagercoil had not been relaid for many years. Instead of patchwork, it should be relaid, he urged.
State Highways Department sources said most parts of the road had been handed over to it by the NHAI, but some parts are still with the latter.
It is up to the NHAI to maintain the road till mid-2027, the sources added.
Meanwhile, highways authorities said that measures have been taken to repair the damaged portion as the defect liability period of the contractors would last till 2027.
