Kuttanad: Sasikumar (59), a differently-abled man residing at Kudavechoor in Vaikom, was trapped for some time in a waterlogged section on the Neerettupuram – Muttar road in Kuttanad area while returning home on a three-wheel scooter from Chakkulathukavu Temple, near Thiruvalla, on Saturday.

Sasikumar has disabilities to both legs and travels around on a three-wheel scooter presented to him by former Chief Minister, the late Oommen Chandy. He regularly visits various temples on his scooter, and on Saturday, travelled from Pamba to Chakkulathukavu via Thiruvalla to offer prayers at the Devi temple there.

From Chakkulathukavu, Sasikumar took the Neerettupuram – Muttar road to reach AC Road, from where he could return home via Alappuzha. However, when he approached the Muttar panchayat office, Sasikumar stopped his vehicle on noticing that the road ahead was submerged.

Even though Sasikumar initially hesitated to venture into the waterlogged road, he soon decided to take the risk as several other vehicles were crossing the flooded stretch. But, when Sasikumar took his three-wheeler into the inundated road and had covered some distance, its engine was cut off. With the vehicle coming to a halt, Sasikumar was forced to get down and push it out of the water. The effort was extremely laborious, as both his legs are very weak.

After taking his scooter to the non-inundated section of the road, Sasikumar spent a long time attempting to start the three-wheeler. He finally succeeded after much effort, and returned to his house in Vaikom. Sasikumar said that he was unaware of the flooding on the roads in Kuttanad, which landed him in trouble.