Piravanthoor: Despite settling in the region nearly a century ago, approximately 25 families in Cherukara, located in the Chekam ward of Piravanthoor Grama Panchayat, are still awaiting a basic motorable road.

Even a brief spell of rain blurs the boundary between the narrow pathway and the adjacent stream. During heavier downpours, the trail is completely inundated, leaving commuters and schoolchildren stranded until the floodwaters subside.

The lack of road connectivity has had fatal consequences. At least three residents have died in recent years after medical aid was delayed during emergencies. In several instances, locals had to carry patients and deceased family members on their shoulders or strapped to makeshift wooden chairs to reach the nearest accessible road.

Sumangala recounted how, years ago, the body of her husband, Janardanan, had to be secured to a chair and carried through the forest. Another resident, Sathyadevan, succumbed to a cardiac arrest after an ambulance could not reach the hamlet in time; his wife, Omana, maintains that a proper access route could have saved his life.

Following the death of her mother, Lakshmikutty, under similar circumstances, Sheeja, another resident, was forced to relocate from the area entirely.

Cherukara lies approximately one kilometre into the forest from Narangappuram along the Punalur–Muvattupuzha State Highway. In the absence of streetlights, navigating the unpaved forest corridor after sunset is perilous. The frequent movement of wild animals along the route also makes parents reluctant to send their children to school unescorted.

Because the settlement borders the Vazhathoppu Kadakkamon Forest Depot, statutory regulations and technical clearances concerning forest land have stalled the construction of a permanent road. The residents have renewed their appeal to the forest department and local administrative authorities to expedite clearances and provide basic infrastructure to the hamlet.