Kaduthuruthy: After a wait of more than 25 years, over a hundred families in Kaduthuruthy Panchayat finally received a new road on Independence Day.

The road, constructed by linking two panchayat roads, was made possible with land contributions from four families. The opening of this new stretch ends a 25-year wait to connect the Kapikkad Gurumandiram Road in Ward 13 with the Muppathi Kuttida Road.

To enable its construction, V P Chacko of Varikkamadom Thotil donated 4 cents of land, Bibi Aneesh of Cheruvam Kalayil contributed 2 cents, Kuzhippil Santosh Mathew gave 1.5 cents, and Koonanaaniyil Joseph handed over 0.5 cents. The donated plots were recently registered in the name of the Kaduthuruthy Panchayat Secretary, allowing the land to be officially used for public road development.

Shaji Philip, an ex-serviceman and social activist, played a key role in securing support from the property owners and coordinating the land transfer. He had earlier led similar initiatives, including the construction of the Manvettom–Neelimala Edhakkuzhy Road, Kapikkad–Manjoor Road, and Kapikkad–Anganwadi-2 Road. He expressed hope that the Panchayat Council would soon commence work to tar the newly opened road.