Every evening, it’s the same confusion,” says Gayathri A, a daily commuter who travels through the Kuravankonam–Kowdiar stretch on her two-wheeler after attending civil service preparation classes.
She’s lamenting the unofficial, haphazard ‘traffic management’ in the area.
“One guard waves you forward, another from the opposite shop stops you, and you are left confused about what to do and where to go,” Gayathri continues.
“I have seen these people block the entire public road just to allow their customers to park or exit. This is a busy stretch. There should be proper traffic management by the authorities, not random private guards of showrooms.”
This is not an isolated complaint but a daily ordeal for hundreds of commuters using this arterial road.
What was once a relatively free-flowing corridor in Thiruvananthapuram has, over the past few years, turned into a bottleneck. The Kuravankonam–Kowdiar stretch, now a rapidly expanding commercial hub lined with shops, restaurants and food carts, witnesses near-constant traffic congestion, particularly during peak evening hours.
In the absence of effective regulation, private security personnel step onto public roads to direct vehicles, frequently leading to confusion and conflict. Motorists point out that it’s a safety hazard too.
Suresh V, an autorickshaw driver who has been operating in the area for the past seven to eight years, says the problem has become routine and leads to confrontation on the road. “From around 5pm to 10pm, traffic blocks are common. Vehicles cannot move freely, and most of the congestion is caused by people coming to these shops,” he says.
“The way security guards handle the situation is not correct. They behave as if the road is meant only for their customers. One side is allowed to move while the other is completely blocked, and only after vehicles from one direction pass does the other side get a chance.”
Suresh adds that the stretch is a main road connecting several important areas, and with narrow or inconvenient alternative routes, commuters are often left with no choice but to suffer the congestion.
Legally, the control and regulation of traffic in public places rests with the police. Under the Kerala Police Act, 2011, a police officer on duty is empowered, for avoiding disorder, obstruction and danger, to regulate and control traffic in any public place and issue reasonable directions.
Importantly, the Act also empowers Traffic Regulatory Committees to regulate how vehicles enter private buildings and establishments from public roads, making it clear that decisions affecting road use must come from authorised bodies — not informal private arrangements.
Advocate Muraleedharan G Vallakkadavu, secretary of the Trivandrum Bar Association, says problems arise when this legal framework is bypassed in practice. “If a complaint is registered, the institutions that deploy private guards to manage traffic will be answerable. The public is not obligated to follow such instructions,” he says.
He also points out that even the ‘no parking’ boards placed by private institutions in public spaces have no legal standing. “Any such arrangements must be made with proper authorisation from the authorities. Otherwise, these powers remain with official agencies alone,” he adds.
Anilkumar Pandala, former managing director of the Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Corporation, highlights more causes behind the congestion and chaos. “When we developed this stretch, it was not envisioned as a commercial road. Only Kowdiar Junction, Kuravankonam Junction and Marappalam Junction had major commercial activity. Over time, the area evolved into a dense commercial space,” he says.
“The problem is that while developing such areas, the corporation should be more careful while granting licences to commercial properties. Proportionate parking space should have been made mandatory, or licences should have been issued only to establishments with adequate parking. That was not done properly.”
Anilkumar further points out that the rise of mobile food carts during evening hours has worsened the situation majorly. “Many customers park in public spaces, even on footpaths, reducing the available road width and directly adding to congestion during peak hours. Along with this, the improper traffic control by private guards only makes the situation worse and more chaotic,” he says.
“Traffic police should enforce the law and ensure smooth movement on public roads. But the corporation is also responsible in this matter. This is not about penalising or shutting down establishments. Rather, the corporation should be more cautious while issuing licences, or alternatively provide parking facilities in nearby vacant spaces to reduce pressure on the main road.”
Responding to the issue, Deputy Commissioner of Police T Farash claims police personnel have been deployed at major points in the area to regulate traffic. “Apart from this, traffic enforcement patrol vehicles are continuously monitoring traffic movement and violations across the city,” he adds.
“Security guards are authorised only to manage traffic within their private premises. In case of a complaint, we will look into the matter.”