Cherpu: Even after seven months have passed since the road concreting work at Urakam Centre on the Thrissur-Kodungallur State Highway came to a halt, and people are enduring difficult journeys, there is an allegation that the authorities are turning a blind eye. The eastern side of the road at the centre was completed last February.

The remaining western side is still full of potholes. Due to a depth difference of more than a foot between the two sides of the road, traffic congestion and vehicle accidents are common here.

If it rains, the potholes on the road fill with water and if there is no rain, the dust from the half-damaged part of the road causes significant inconvenience to commuters and nearby shopkeepers. A stretch of 100-120 meters has been left incomplete for seven months.

Officials of the contracting company responsible for the work give vague responses, stating there are no special obstacles to concreting here and that work will start soon. Urakam is one of the most bustling centres in the region itself.

On this state highway, where hundreds of vehicles pass every hour, it is at Urakam Centre that vehicles from the Puthukkad side also merge. Ayichiyil Radhakrishnan, a local resident and public activist, alleges that the prolonged delay in road work at such an important centre is solely due to the negligence of the authorities. Local merchants also threaten to launch protest actions if the authorities do not intervene and find a solution to this matter.