In Kochi, the narrow Lourdes Hospital Road which runs from Pachalam Junction to Don Bosco School, Vaduthala is all set to become the new traffic bottleneck in the city when work on Kochi Metro begins in right earnest. The Regional Transport Authority’s (RTA) plan to divert vehicles through this road has met with stiff resistance from residents of Pachalam and Vaduthala region.
The Residents Apex Council, Ernakulam (RACE), has registered their protest against the move, stating that they want authorities to initiate steps to widen the road before letting buses and other heavy vehicles use the road. Though the over 1 km long road, which runs parallel to the railway track, was planned as a 6-metre wide road, city authorities have not taken steps to acquire the land to widen the road.
The road begins at Pachalam Junction and ends near Don Bosco Church. According to the residents association, some stretches on the Lourdes Hospital Road is as narrow as 4 metres, and it is difficult for two vehicles to pass each other. The undue delay in construction of two railway overbridges at Pachalam and Vaduthala has added to the problem.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.