Thodupuzha: Public outcry is mounting over the deplorable condition of the Karikkode-Kanjar stretch along the Thekkady-Ernakulam State Highway, with residents demanding an immediate end to their commuting woes. Locals have called for urgent intervention from elected representatives and the Public Works Department (PWD) to rebuild the road to a width of 10 meters using Bituminous Macadam and Bituminous Concrete (BM&BC) standards.

Despite being a century-old state highway, the stretch is treated with greater neglect than an ordinary village lane. The road is a vital lifeline for the development of rural pockets such as Karikkode, Keerikkode, Thekkumbhagam, Anchiri, Inchiyani, Kuttappankavala, Thalayanad, Anakkayam, and Kadayathoor Kaippa. A steady stream of traffic - including KSRTC and private buses, as well as school vans - relies heavily on this corridor every day. However, its crumbling surface and bottle-necked width routinely put commuters in harm’s way.

Overloaded trucks rule the road; smaller vehicles squeezed out
Residents point out that overloaded heavy tippers from nearby quarries operate relentlessly along this route. Only the stretch between Karikkode and Thekkumbhagam has been widened and tarred; from Anchiri to Kanjar, the road narrows down drastically. It lacks both the width and the safety infrastructure required to bear such intense heavy traffic.

Whenever these tipper trucks hurtle past, oncoming smaller vehicles are forced off the tarmac, struggling to squeeze by safely. Two-wheeler riders and pedestrians are left navigating the stretch at extreme peril. The unrelenting movement of overloaded vehicles is also accelerating the road’s structural collapse. Commuters urge authorities to step in, evaluate the road's load-bearing capacity against the volume of traffic, and strictly enforce necessary regulations.