Mananthavady/Tirur: The Nava Kerala bus in which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other ministers are travelling, got stuck in mud at Mananthavady in Wayanad district on Thursday. The bus, equipped with high-security arrangements, was stuck near the stage set up for the Nava Kerala Sadas programme. The incident took place on the grounds of the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in the town. The slush was formed owing to the rain the previous night.
The wheel got bogged down in the mud after the vehicle reached the barricaded area meant for stationing it. At this, the chief minister and the ministers got off the bus and moved to the venue of the event. The bus was pulled out of the mud by the police, fire brigade, local people and volunteers by hauling it with a cordage. The bus was then shifted to the road near the school grounds.
After the public meeting, the chief minister and most of the ministers arrived near the bus in cars. Ministers Mohammad Riyas, Antony Raju, Roshi Augustine and others walked to the place. The organisers had earlier ensured that the bus would reach the stage. A Swift bus of the KSRTC was brought and a trial run was conducted. The Nava Kerala bus could not reach the stage at Kalpetta and Sulthan Bathery due to the slush that was formed in heavy rain that lashed the area.
School walls demolished to make way for the bus
Earlier, a part of the wall of the Mananthavady GVHSS was demolished for the Nava Kerala Sadas in Wayanad. Anticipating that the school grounds would become muddy during the rain, a part of the wall was pulled down and a separate road was prepared for the bus. The wall was already in a crumbling stage. The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) said that it would be rebuilt.
In another incident, the wall of the Tirur Boys Higher Secondary School, where an event of the Nava Kerala programme is scheduled to be held, has been demolished to allow the bus to reach the stage. The main entrance of the school is narrow and that is the reason why a portion of the wall was demolished to allow the vehicle to pass through.
The drain near the wall was filled in with rock dust to level up the surface for the bus to enter the premises. U. Sainuddin, chairman of the organising committee and president of the block panchayat, said that the demolished part of the wall would be rebuilt as soon as the programme is over. This section would be used not only for the bus but also for the movement of large crowds that are expected to attend the event.
Zainuddin said that in the past, the wall had been demolished for the government's anniversary programme too but it was rebuilt quickly.
