
Bellmouths at key junctions in Kochi to be widened to streamline traffic
The Hindu
Police initiate steps to close illegal cuttings on side medians that cause accidents
Efforts are on to make optimal use of space at Vyttila, bottlenecked parts of Banerjee Road, Pettah, and Thripunithura to streamline traffic, sources in the Kochi City Traffic Police (East) said. With the PWD (NH Wing) not heeding to repeated requests to chip away parts of the roundabout and medians beneath the Vyttila flyover which unnecessarily occupy considerable space, the police have readied an action plan to enable smoother movement of vehicles in the free-left turn from the Palarivattom side towards Kaniampuzha Road which leads to the Vyttila Mobility Hub. This is because buses and other vehicles now have to jostle for space to negotiate a right-angled turn to access the road, adding to traffic snarls at the junction. “This problem can be avoided if vacant land abutting the Vyttila Mobility Hub is added to the road, at the bellmouth. In addition, we have requested the PWD to tar-coat the earthen road shoulder at the turning, so that vehicles can turn smoothly, while relocating an autorickshaw stand here and also a few posts will create additional space,” police sources said.
“A small evergreen tree native to South America, it is reported to have been introduced to our parts in the 16th century. It “adoption” could have been the result of the ornamental value it brought to a landscape: it puts out striking bluish purple flowers that attract butterflies and has bright yellow-orange fruits. In Tamil, it is called seemai vairamaram,” says T.D. Babu, a member of the Chennai District Green Committee and a key member of tree conservation organisation Nizhal. Babu underlines its special features — “considered densest and water-proof, this tree’s has been used in ship building. Its resin and bark are said to have medicinal properties. These factors led to its commercial exploitation and dwindling numbers.” In light of the threat of extinction faced by this tree, one would expect more care to be given to the clutch of Roughbark lignum-vitae trees found in Chennai. One of them has the Queen Mary’s College Campus for an address. Babu notes that the base of the tree has suffered damage, not natural but human-inflicted in the past. It also displays “wounds” further up its gnarled frame — an amputated branch. Babu wants the state of the tree’s precincts to reflect its preciousness. Currently, the earth it stands in is overrun with weeds.