Decade of neglect leaves key Ezhukone access route in Kollam unusable

Kollam: Despite funds being sanctioned months ago and tenders floated four times, commuters on the Paruthanpara–St. John’s Road in Ezhukone panchayat see no end to their daily ordeal, with not a single contractor willing to take up the work.

The stretch is completely broken and riddled with potholes. Along several sections, not a trace of tarmac remains; on others, loose gravel churned up by passing vehicles poses a constant hazard. The monsoon makes matters worse, turning the entire road into a minefield of waterlogged craters.

This is the only access route for hundreds of local families, an SC development settlement, and nearly a thousand children attending a nearby private school. Ward member Babu Maniyanankunnil noted that the road was last renovated a decade ago with an allocation of ₹18 lakh during P. Aisha Potty’s tenure as MLA.

Its decline began when the road shoulder was dug up to lay drinking water pipelines. Left completely neglected without routine maintenance, the road deteriorated into its present sorry state.

Following mounting public outcry, MLA K.N. Balagopal intervened and secured ₹22 lakh under the Chief Minister’s Local Road Rebuild Scheme. However, all four rounds of tendering drew a blank. Contractors argue that with the steep surge in the prices of bitumen and other raw materials, executing the project at the sanctioned estimate is financially unviable.

The ward member added that the MLA has promised to consider revising the budget estimate to break the deadlock.