“Disaster In Waiting”: Activist CR Neelakandan Raps NHAI For Ignoring Protests In Kerala's Kayamkulam

Locals in Kayamkulam, Kerala’s Alappuzha district, held a massive rally today demanding an elevated, pillared long bridge in the heart of the city as part of the national highway expansion, considering the requirements of the native population. The People’s Forum in Kayamkulam said the face of the protests would change in the coming days as the responses of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) compel them to take extreme steps.

Noted environmental and social activist CR Neelakandan addressed a meeting after the rally and said the NHAI’s reasons for comparing highways in other states with the highly populated areas of Kerala are unscientific and unacceptable.

“We can’t compare Andhra Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh with Kerala. Our state’s ecosystem is completely different from those states. The officials or other responsible people from the state have failed to convince the NHAI or the Centre about these area-specific details. We have highly populated places on each side of the national highway in the state,” he said.

While adding that no one is against development, especially national highway development, the officials and the government are ignoring the social, climatic, and economic issues of the state.

From the protest rally held under the People’s Forum in Kayamkulam demanding elevated-pillered national highway

“Any development project should look at three important aspects pertaining to each region: the social formulation, environmental or climatic conditions, and financial issues,” Mr. Neelakandan told the gathering.

He added that corrupt officials joining hands with the NHAI have made life miserable for the public even before the national highway is opened, as construction is underway in Alappuzha district.

“Pillared national highways in Kerala are an old demand. Our climate is different, and things will go haywire if developmental projects like this are undertaken without studying Kerala’s hydrology,” he said. He warned that implementing developmental projects without meeting local demands will lead to disasters.

The organizers applauded the efforts of newly elected Alappuzha MP KC Venugopal for his sudden and timely action in meeting Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to appraise the demands of the people of Kayamkulam. The locals in Kayamkulam have been protesting for the last year, asking for a pillared elevated highway in the city, as the proposed national highway expansion is going to divide the area into two, with the people from the western part of NH 66 being cut off from the basic amenities centered in the town, which is in the eastern part of the road.