PWD faces flak for shoddy condition of Kundannoor Junction
The Hindu
Agency under fire for delay in pruning roundabout, medians at Vyttila
Protest is brewing against the Public Works Department (NH wing) for the shoddy condition of Kundannoor Junction and inordinate delay by the agency in pruning the extent of medians that it built beneath the flyovers at Kundannoor and Vyttila, despite repeated assurances.
Traffic police personnel had filled gaping potholes at Kundannoor Junction a year ago, after the PWD — to which the National Highways Authority of India handed over a kilometre of the NH bypass passing through the junction for flyover construction work — failed to comply with repeated requests. Over nine months since the flyover was commissioned, roads at the junction remain severely undulated, posing danger to road users.
With repeated pleas falling on deaf ears, Maradu-based social activist Shamier Abdulla registered his protest by uploading a video of the deplorable condition of the junction in social media. “Members of the public are shell-shocked by the apathy of agencies concerned that ought to ensure that the NH bypass and junctions on the corridor are safe for motorists. They expressed outrage at the undulations and a few parts of the road on the eastern side of the junction protruding above the level of the adjacent road,” Mr. Abdulla said.

Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has rolled out digital mode of water bill generation and collection in 23 gram panchayats on a pilot basis for the first time in Karnataka. This is set to be extended to the remaining 200 panchayats shortly, according to the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Narwade Vinayak Karbhari.

Microplastics, especially nylon fibres, are present in Chennai’s beach sediments in relatively low abundance, but low overall microplastic abundance does not necessarily imply low ecological risk. Even small particles can cause long-term ecological damage by affecting marine life, moving up the food chain, and eventually impacting human health through contaminated seafood.











