Road work drags on in Cheranellore

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A section of the Cheranellore panchayat residents in the northern fringe of the city, are agitated with the promoters of the over Rs 1000 crore Medicity project coming up on over 50 acres on the banks of a branch of Periyar at Edayakunnam, as the work on the road and drainage has been dragging for the past few months.

Promoters have also failed to keep the promise of constructing a bathing ghat on Kothad river for around 180 families.

The project promoters were forced to take up works at the insistence of the panchayat authorities owing to the flooding caused by the construction of the boundary wall for the project.

Local people say deep trench has been dug on the road for building drainage and telephones cables. Careless digging has damaged the road, so now travel on the road is a nightmare with no tarring done till date.

The people are also agitated over the absence of any bathing ghat in the river which they were using freely till date. “The people have been denied any bathing ghats by the reclamation activities for the project and the boundary wall construction for the same.

This act of the Medicity is a clear violation of the agreement that they entered on May 10, 2011, with the Cheranallore panchayat. People are planning an agitation to get back their right on the river,” said Radhakrishnan, a resident.

When contacted, Alex Mathew, administration manager of the Medicity project, said that they had promised only one bathing ghat which was delivered. “There is now a demand by external elements for an additional bathing ghat which is not justified,” he said. He added that the road works will be completed by April 20 and the delay was caused due to the contractor to whom the project was awarded by the company.

Cheranellore Panchayat president K.K. Suresh said the Medicity promoters have promised to complete the road work by April 20 and the original agreement was for only for building one bathing ghat.