Merchants seek urgent action as roadwork delay hits festive sales in Muvattupuzha
They have urged state govt to intervene immediately and ensure that work is carried out round the clock.
Recently, Muvattupuzha merchants' association staged a symbolic protest, accusing authorities and contractors of negligence and an unacceptably slow pace of roadwork in the town. Association president Ajmal Chakkungal told TOI that hospitals and several businesses were being forced to shut temporarily due to the disruption.
He alleged that inadequate monitoring, shortage of workers and poor coordination between departments were dragging the project into indefinite delays.
According to the association, lack of essential construction materials also stalled progress.
"Merchants in Muvattupuzha were the most affected in 2018 and 2019 floods in the state, following which Covid-19 pandemic affected businesses. It is at a juncture when merchants were slowly recovering that the long delay in roadworks is causing distress to people's lives," said Ajmal.
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Merchants blamed both contractor and PWD officials for the situation, warning that if work does not speed up, further protests will follow. They insist that nighttime construction and deployment of additional machinery are the only ways to bring the project back on track and rescue the town's economy from its current standstill.
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