Traffic snarls on Ghat Road: Cong. MLAs from Wayanad launch ‘satyagraha’

Two Congress MLAs from Wayanad launched a day-and-night ‘satyagraha’ outside the district collectorate here on Tuesday evening (December 30) seeking a solution to the recurring traffic snarls on the Thamarassery Ghat Road connecting Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.

Meanwhile, the district administration has placed restrictions on the movement of multi-axle vehicles and heavy vehicles on the road from January 5 in view of the ongoing road repair works and for clearing wooden logs on the sixth, seventh, and eighth hairpin bends. A release from the Executive Engineer, National Highway Division, Public Works department, said that such vehicles would be diverted via the Kuttiyadi mountain pass or the Nadugani mountain pass.

Traffic block has become a regular affair on the Ghat Road in recent days, and the situation is worsened by the rush of vehicles due to the Christmas-New Year holidays. The road comes under the Kozhikode district administration. Social critic M.N. Karassery opened the day-and-night ‘satyagraha’ by T. Siddique, Kalpetta MLA, and I.C. Balakrishnan, Sulthan Bathery MLA.

Addressing the media earlier, Mr. Siddique claimed that he had got stuck on the road at least 34 times in the past few years. The Congress leader claimed that there had been occasions when he had to go to Thrissur to catch a train to Thiruvananthapuram to attend the Assembly session, as he missed the train from Kozhikode.

“The traffic block is affecting the social life of the people of Wayanad as well as its development. We all know that Wayanad has no air, rail, or sea connectivity. Road connectivity is the district’s only link to the outside world,” Mr. Siddique said. He alleged that though decisions had been taken even at the level of the Additional Chief Secretary to address the traffic block on the road and the Kerala State Human Rights Commission had issued orders for the purpose, nothing was happening on the ground. The demand to have a mobile mechanical unit and a crane service unit was yet to be addressed. Blaming the State government and the Wayanad and Kozhikode district administrations for the impasse, he claimed that senior citizens, women and children had to suffer without drinking water and other basic facilities once they were stuck on the road.

The Congress MLA demanded that a permanent system, involving government departments such as the Local Self-Governments and Home, and voluntary organisations, should be set up to address the issue. Mr. Siddique said that steps should be taken to start the construction on the Poozhithode-Padinjarethara alternative road to Wayanad, along with the bypass road from Chippilithode to Thalippuzha.