NHAI urged to construct drains, wider service roads on bypass

Faced with parts of the NH Bypass at Vyttila Junction and service roads in the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass corridor getting waterlogged even during moderate rainfall, demand is gaining ground that the N

Faced with parts of the NH Bypass at Vyttila Junction and service roads in the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass corridor getting waterlogged even during moderate rainfall, demand is gaining ground that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which owns the corridor, construct drains wherever they are missing on the 16-km stretch, for the safety of road users. Intense waterlogging was the norm in many parts of service roads in the past decade, since letters to the NHAI seeking its permission to build drains had failed to evoke a positive response. This in turn affected plans to lay slabs over the existing drains to prevent dumping of garbage and even septic tank waste by unscrupulous people, official sources said. Yet another proposal to widen the tarred space of service roads on either side of the NH Bypass, from 5.5 metres to 7 metres, to enable smooth movement of vehicles in either direction, too remains on paper.