Kalady: Private buses will boycott services through the Kalady Sree Sankara bridge from tomorrow in protest against the traffic congestion that has continued for over a week.

Potholes on the bridge are causing severe traffic jams. With the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season underway, a large number of Ayyappa devotees are passing through Kalady town. Vehicles carrying pilgrims are getting trapped in the gridlock, forcing many to abandon Kalady, which is otherwise a major stopover (idathaavalam) for Sabarimala pilgrims.

Long-distance buses, including KSRTC services, are now operating via the more circuitous Malayattoor route, adding several extra kilometres. Pilgrims from other States, however, are unfamiliar with this diversion and often get stuck in traffic blocks that continue late into the night. The long line of vehicles on MC Road frequently stretches for kilometres.

Traditionally, before the Sabarimala season, the panchayat convenes a meeting with other organisations to introduce measures to ease traffic congestion. This year, however, no such meeting was held due to the ongoing local body election campaign.

Unless the potholes on the bridge are repaired and it is made motorable, services will be suspended on either side of the bridge from tomorrow, warned Private Bus Operators Association Angamaly-Kalady region president A P Jiby and secretary B O Davis. They stressed that the traffic block cannot be resolved without resurfacing the bridge on a war footing by diverting heavy vehicles such as lorries, trailers, containers and multi-axle vehicles through Aluva from Angamaly and Perumbavoor. 

Nearly 80 private buses currently operate through the Kalady bridge at a regular interval of less than five minutes. Operators say they are facing a major crisis, being forced to curtail trips continuously due to the traffic block and unable to maintain schedules. The association office bearers added that private bus employees are under severe stress, often compelled to overspeed in an attempt to make up for the time lost in traffic.