2 months ago
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A bulk of the 1,100 lights that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) installed arsenic aboriginal arsenic March 2025 connected the 17-km-long Container Road (NH 966A), which links the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal with Kalamassery, stay non-functional. As a result, overmuch of the engaged and accident-prone agelong continues to stay transportation dark.
The bureau agreed to instal capable lighting on the full four-lane Container Road pursuing involution by the Kerala High Court, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), NGOs, roadworthy information enthusiasts, and people’s representatives, aft implicit 2 twelve fatal accidents, particularly involving two-wheeler riders and parked instrumentality lorries, implicit the past decade.
“Over time, isolated from accidents, the corridor turned into a hub for transgression enactment and discarded dumping, each nether the screen of darkness,” the constabulary said.
C.J. Johnson, a roadworthy information enthusiast, had taken up the substance with the SHRC since 2015. Later, Hibi Eden, MP, raised the contented successful the Lok Sabha. Following this, the NHAI installed 1,100 lights nether a ₹7.20 crore project. “It is bittersweet that astir of the lights are inactive not functioning owed to delays successful charging them,” helium said.
Mr. Johnson said that the deficiency of lighting makes pedestrians and two-wheeler riders astir susceptible to accidents and adjacent transgression astatine night. On average, astir ₹50 lakh is needed to conception a kilometre of NH successful Kerala, including the outgo of land. Lights tin beryllium installed on specified a agelong for astir ₹50 lakh, which is conscionable astir 1% of the full outgo per kilometre, helium added.
Aam Aadmi Party had taken up the substance precocious past twelvemonth with the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System of the Central authorities and the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) portal. “Subsequently, the Kerala State Electricity Board [KSEB] responded successful January, saying that galore thoroughfare lights and high-mast lights nether the Kalamassery electrical conception tin beryllium operated lone if the NHAI deposits the estimation magnitude that was sent successful December 2025,” said Sujith Sukumaran, territory caput of the party
On its part, the NHAI responded connected March 23, saying that the ‘supervision consultant’ had accorded the highest precedence to the substance and that discussions were nether mode with the KSEB and different authorities concerned. The NHAI ought to fast-track the payment, helium added.
Responding to the issue, NHAI sources attributed the hold successful operationalising the thoroughfare lights to the request for much than the ₹1.05 crore that had been estimated arsenic the disbursal for providing powerfulness connections to the lights. The substance is awaiting clearance, they said.
