Naduvannur: For the residents of Ayanikkadu Thuruthu, an island in Naduvannur Panchayat, a bridge across the Ramanpuzha River has long been a dream.

While that dream finally began to take shape with the completion of the Koyambrathu Kandi Bridge, built at a cost of  ₹4.3 crore, the lack of an access road on one side now threatens to render the structure virtually useless for the local residents.

The 59.4-metre-long and 7.5-metre-wide bridge connects Naduvannur and Ulliyeri panchayats in Kozhikode. While the approach road from the Ulliyeri side is under active development, with granite walls constructed over an 80-metre stretch and soil filling underway, progress on the Naduvannur side has been stalled due to hurdles in land acquisition.

Residents of Ayanikkadu, an area surrounded by water on three sides, are among the worst affected. Currently, road access extends only up to Mandakkavu Makkattu Thazhe in Naduvannur. Beyond that, people must trek through muddy, overgrown paths and cross polder lands. During monsoons, the entire region becomes waterlogged, forcing local authorities to relocate families to relatives’ homes or temporary relief camps. Fourteen families live in this remote, flood-prone locality and they have to cross the river to reach Ulliyeri.

For schoolchildren in Ayanikkadu, most of whom study in Ulliyeri and Naduvannur, reaching school during the rainy season is especially challenging.

A budget of ₹4.3 crore was allocated by the Public Works Department for constructing the Koyambrathu Kandi Bridge, following an intervention by MLA KM Sachin Dev. Construction began in 2023, and the bridge structure is now nearly complete. But with no approach roads leading to one side of the structure, the locals are using a makeshift ladder to scale the side of the bridge and cross over

Though some private landowners have voluntarily given up portions of land to facilitate road construction, the remaining stretch remains incomplete. According to Naduvannur Panchayat president T P Damodaran, 11 individuals have already handed over land, but five others, who hold larger plots, have not yet agreed to part with their land, stalling the one-kilometre-long road needed to connect the bridge to the local road network.

The Balussery Block Panchayat has sanctioned ₹40 lakh to build the approach road. However, authorities say this amount is insufficient for developing a road through the swampy, waterlogged terrain of Ayanikkadu Thuruthu.