Kozhikode: A road that was inaugurated with much fanfare on December 26 remains in a state of disrepair, with restoration works making little to no progress even after eight months. When residents began questioning the delay, authorities quietly removed the flex board that had announced the project and its estimated cost of ₹40 lakh.

The 400-metre-long Manalthazham Road, connecting MIMS Hospital and Lulu Mall on Mankavu Road, has become a symbol of apathy. With work stalled indefinitely, local residents, cutting across political lines, took to protest by planting plantain trees on the dug-up stretch on Sunday morning.

So far, only a drainage channel has been constructed along the road. Ironically, even that has been built at a level far higher than the road itself, leaving the adjoining houses below street level. As a result, vehicles can no longer be taken in to the houses through this road. Electric scooters now need to be charged in neighbouring homes. During the recent spell of rains, several houses in the area were inundated.

Around 150 houses lie along this stretch. Many of the flats here house dialysis patients visiting MIMS Hospital. With the road impassable for cars, patients must be physically carried in and out of their residences. In one instance, a patient traveling pillion on a motorcycle slipped and injured his knee while crossing a drain slab on the way to the hospital, leading to a hospital admission.

Each time local outrage builds up, the authorities respond with token gestures such as sending a few casual labourers who merely shift some slabs around before disappearing once again.

Though the Deputy Mayor had earlier announced a sanctioned amount of ₹40 lakh for the restoration, there has been no visible progress on the ground. The Janakeeya Samithi’s symbolic protest by planting plantains is the latest reminder of the growing public frustration over the official apathy.