A bumpy ride on highways with misery for company

At the dawn of July 3 this year, the Edappally–Thrissur agelong of NH 544 looked deceptively calm aft an all-night drizzle.

Eighty-year-old M.P. Vilson of Cherumukku, Thrissur, and Manu, operator of the car, were heading location from Thiruvananthapuram successful Vilson’s recently bought car erstwhile catastrophe struck astatine Muringoor.

A abrupt stoppage of the conveyance conscionable up of them sent Manu slamming the brakes of the vehicle. The bedewed aboveground betrayed him. The car skidded, veered disconnected the narrow, slippery work road, and nosedived into a 10-foot-deep water-filled pit, a gaping spread near down by ongoing underpass works.

The lone information measures that were successful spot were a integrative postulation cone and a enactment loosely strung crossed the site. Luck was connected their side, and they survived. Moments later, they crawled retired of the mangled conveyance with insignificant cuts and bruises.

A period later, the aforesaid tract witnessed different accident. A timber-laden lorry toppled connected the work road, scattering the logs crossed the stretch. For astir 15 hours, postulation froze into an unmoving enactment stretching for kilometres. For thousands stuck successful the jam, patience snapped.

The accidents underline what motorists connected the Thrissur-Ernakulam agelong of NH 544 person been enduring for months: endless postulation jams, dusty byroads done which the vehicles person to crawl, vehicles skidding disconnected the road, and a creeping fearfulness of disaster. Frustration has boiled implicit into petitions, protests, and now, the Kerala High Court lashing retired astatine the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is implementing the roadworthy project.

On August 6, 2025, the High Court ordered suspension of toll postulation astatine Paliyekkara plaza, holding the NHAI liable for failing to supply safe, motorable roads. The Supreme Court aboriginal endorsed the decision. Citing the Thrissur Collector’s study of information threats astatine respective underpasses, the High Court connected September 25 extended the suspension, reiterating its stand: “No toll for unsafe roads.”

Question of fairness

For Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) caput Shaji J. Kodankandath, who moved the High Court for suspending the toll collection, the contented is not conscionable astir the inconvenience caused to the motorists but fairness successful the attack to them.

“The agelong witnesses dense postulation blocks adjacent now. Work is progressing astatine a precise dilatory pace. The work, which is planned to beryllium completed by October 2025, whitethorn instrumentality different twelvemonth to complete,” helium feels.

He raises a demand: “Reduce the toll by 50% till the enactment is completed. Why should we wage to thrust connected work roads? Why should interior roads done which the road postulation is diverted beryllium destroyed without compensation being paid? The agrarian interior roads, not built connected road standards, are being damaged by the dense measurement of traffic,” fumes Shaji.

The Interim Traffic Management Committee, which was formed to look into the contented of postulation jams, suggested the widening and repairing of work roads and replacing damaged culverts to easiness the traffic.

The committee, led by Thrissur Collector Arjun Pandian, besides projected mounting up thoroughfare lights on the interior roads and putting up bilingual boards to bespeak postulation diversion. The constabulary and the Motor Vehicles section agreed to the concerns raised by the Collector.

The NH 544 upgrade task included underpasses and overbridges to destruct accident-prone “black spots” on the NH and easiness congestion. Instead, they basal grounds to missed deadlines and nationalist risk. The operation of underpasses astatine Amballur, Perambra, Muringoor, Koratty, Chirangara, Mudikkode, Kallidukku, and Vaniampara is yet to stitchery momentum.

The worst hold is reported from Amballur, wherever the underpass is hardly half-built contempt respective missed deadlines. Service roads are collapsing nether dense traffic, and shops successful the areas are covered successful dust, kick residents.

Fear of floods

Beyond postulation chaos, section radical interest astir flooding astatine Amballur successful Nenmanikkara panchayat, a flood-prone area. The residents fearfulness the underpass task could worsen the flood situation.

“No due and technological studies were done earlier initiating the enactment of the underpass,” alleges T. Sreenath, an activistic of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad.

A peculiar gathering of the grama sabha had warned astir the anticipation of flash floods arsenic the underpass was being constructed without due drainage, says Sreenath. “If it rains heavily, Amballur volition beryllium inundated. Now they’re gathering the operation without channels to fto h2o out. This could worsen the situation,” helium adds.

“When rainwater turns roadworthy stretches into slush, the workers dump quarry discarded with soil contented connected the road. Shops and homes get coated successful particulate erstwhile the h2o dries up,” says Sreedharan Oottoly, who runs a stationery store adjacent Amballur market. “By evening, we’re covered successful grime. We besides look the contented of respiratory ailments and allergy,” helium says.

NHAI’s stance

NHAI task manager Ancil Hassan insists that the works are connected track. “We’ve complied with the directions of the interim committee connected postulation management. There are nary large issues now. Service roads are being regularly repaired, though intermittent rainfall poses challenges,” helium claims.

Ancil says that the section is hoping to implicit the roadworthy works successful Muringoor, Chirangara, and Perambra by December, and Amballur by February.

“Almost 1 lakh vehicles walk done the corridor daily, but operation of the four-lane road and the work roadworthy has to beryllium squeezed into conscionable 45 metres, which is delaying the work. In places similar Muringoor, we don’t adjacent person a inferior corridor. The risks are obvious,” helium says.

However, motorists garbage to bargain the assurance of the NHAI. “The deadlines are ne'er met,” rues a regular traveller from Kodakara.

With the High Court insisting connected the suspension of toll collection, unit is connected the NHAI to execute disposable advancement successful the roadworthy project.

The Alappuzha story

Motorists passing done the NH 66 successful Alappuzha has a akin communicative to recount. Vehicular question on the roadworthy agelong has go a harrowing acquisition for motorists pursuing the operation of the elevated road betwixt Thuravoor and Aroor. Traffic snarls person go a regular affair. Despite the NHAI allotting funds to fortify the Thuravoor–Kumbalangi and Thuravoor–Makkekadavu roads arsenic alternate routes, the concern has not improved much.

Jino Joseph, a nonmigratory of Thuravoor, leaves for enactment an hr earlier than accustomed to scope his workplace successful Ernakulam connected time, acknowledgment to the ongoing operation of the 12.75-km elevated road betwixt Thuravoor and Aroor.

“What usually took maine astir an hr present stretches to implicit 2 hours. The exhaustion caused by the postulation jams is taking a toll connected my life,” helium complains.

Another section commuter K. Praveen echoes his concerns: “Infrastructure improvement is important. Yet, travelling connected the agelong has go a existent struggle. The authorities should see impermanent postulation absorption solutions to easiness the burden,” helium suggests.

The roads person besides go a sidesplitting tract for motorists and pedestrians. The Aroor-Thuravoor Janakeeya Samiti notes that astatine slightest 28 radical person mislaid their lives successful roadworthy accidents connected the agelong since the elevated road enactment began. Yet, authorities stay unfazed.

The NHAI officials assertion that astir 74% (9.695 km of the 12.752 km) of the elevated road task has been completed. “The task is expected to beryllium completed by June 30, 2026,” assures an NHAI official.

The scarcity of ungraded has impacted the Thuravoor-Paravoor and Paravoor-Kayamkulam-Kottankulangara roadworthy stretches successful the district. Though the State authorities has granted support to usage dredged ungraded from Vembanad Lake and Ashtamudi Lake for the improvement of the NH, sources kick that the scarcity continues.

Elsewhere successful the district, NH widening works are making progress, albeit with accidents and postulation disruptions.

On September 16, arsenic galore arsenic 28 radical sustained injuries, immoderate grievously, erstwhile a superfast autobus of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation rammed an under-construction nationalist road underpass astatine Cherthala. In March this year, 4 factual girders of the under-construction flyover of the Alappuzha bypass roadworthy collapsed. Fortunately, nary 1 was injured successful the incident.

Slow gait astatine Malappuram

Four months aft a conception of the NH 66 road nether operation collapsed astatine Kooriyad, adjacent Vengara, successful Malappuram district, the concern appears calm contempt earlier protests and allegations against the NHAI and the institution that was awarded the declaration for the work.

The NHAI blacklisted the firm, which implemented the work, and promised to person the damaged conception rebuilt with a viaduct astatine the contractor’s disbursal wrong 4 months to placate nationalist outrage. However, the repair enactment seems to beryllium taking longer than anticipated.

To minimise postulation disruption, astir 400 metres of the damaged embankment was dismantled, and work roads were repaired wrong 2 months. However, the operation of the promised viaduct is progressing dilatory than expected.

Mohammed Shaju, a section businessman, is precise disquieted astir the dilatory pace.

“I’m definite it volition instrumentality a fewer much months to beryllium completed, contempt the contractor’s assertion of finishing it successful a month.” He points retired that the underpass connecting Vengara Road to the NH astatine Kooriyad often causes postulation congestion astatine Kooriyad.

Missed deadlines mean much slush, dust, crawling postulation successful the coming months too. One tin lone anticipation that precious lives volition not beryllium lost.

(With inputs from Sam Paul A. successful Alappuzha and Abdul Latheef Naha successful Malappuram)