Commuters' ride through hell made worse by NHAI indifference

Traffic bottlenecks on the main path & detour via pothole-filled roads make Thrissur-Ernakulam section of NH 544 a nightmare for passengers during peak hours

- Krishna Kumar K E @Kochi

The traffic bottleneck along the vital Thrissur-Ernakulam section of NH 544 has further deteriorated, affecting thousands of commuters who are now forced to spend nearly an hour at key choke points like Muringoor and Amballoor during peak hours.

What has added to the misery of travelers is the alleged refusal of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to temporarily fill potholes at the sites of ongoing highway development projects.

To manage the serpentine queue of vehicles, traffic police have been forced to effect detours at least at three places. However, heavy vehicles like container trucks and luxury contract carriages cannot take the narrow bylanes.

For over six months, this crucial artery has been in a state of perpetual gridlock. It has worsened now, with a journey that once took a little over an hour now consuming three or more, causing immense frustration and inflicting economic losses.

"Interstate night service buses are getting delayed by several hours. There is a heavy rush with the weekend holidays. Today, almost all services, which should have reached Ernakulam by morning, could make it only by noon. At a couple of points, the buses could not move an inch for nearly an hour. The story is the same while returning. We are forced to speed up once we pass the section. This is costing us extra ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 towards fuel expenses," said Rijas A J, in-charge of Sona Travels.