Vypin: With both sides of the approach road to the Nedungad-Palli bridge overrun by thick bushes, motorists and pedestrians are finding it increasingly difficult to see ahead. The vegetation has grown so wildly that even roadside signboards are now hidden beneath vines and weeds.

Residents say the area has become a breeding ground for snakes and a haven for their predators, including mongooses and jackals. Similar conditions prevail in several isolated and neglected properties across the Nayarambalam panchayat.

Although the panchayat has the authority to clear overgrown vegetation and recover the expenses from property owners, locals allege that this power remains largely unused.