Making a muddle of it

KOCHI: The traffic signal installed at Chengamanad junction, where the roads from Manjaly-Paravoor area, Mala and Aluva-Angamaly area converge, remains non-functional for the past five years. The end result: traffic snarl-ups. Another factor which turns the junction into a traffic nightmare is the lack of space. The now-defunct traffic lights were sponsored by Keltron Ltd and were installed by the Public Works Department (PWD).

According to the locals, the lights had been switched off deliberately. They said, the traffic lights were not suitable for the junction. The lights had been installed in an unscientific manner.  “We don’t know why these lights were installed. If these lights had worked properly, then the situation would have been much worse,” says Sulaiman, an auto-taxi driver.

The elevation and slant of the roads especially the ones from Manjaly-Paravoor area and Mala make it difficult for the vehicles coming from these directions to stop at this junction. The drivers of heavy vehicles had a difficult time. Following many incidents where drivers found it tough to control their vehicles, the locals approached the police requesting them to switch-off the traffic signal.
Sijo, a local shopkeeper, said even if the lights were turned on, one can’t be sure whether they will work or not. “Years of negligence might have taken its toll. The traffic signal at this junction is the best example of how authorities waste money,” he added.

People here are at a loss as to why the signal was installed here.  Melvin Varghese, Youth Congress area secretary, said one of the problems the signal created was traffic congestion. Vehicles coming from all the four routes got stranded at this junction which is very small.

“The best they could do was to renovate the junction. Installing traffic signals is not an answer to end snarl-ups,” he added.  According to him, the signal which had been installed at the junction should be transferred to some other place in the city.