The District Development Committee (DDC) meeting, chaired by District Collector Renu Raj here on Saturday urged the government to adopt steps to tackle traffic hold-ups in the Thamarassery Ghat section of Kozhikode-Kollegal National Highway 766.
Thousands of travellers, including tourists to Wayanad and patients on their way to various speciality hospitals in Kozhikode, were held up in the ghat section during Pooja holidays, T. Siddique, MLA, said. A long queue of vehicles is a usual scene on the road, especially on holidays. Hence, the government should expedite steps to make the proposed alternative roads, including the Poozhithodu-Padinharethara road, a reality, he added.
Steps should also be taken to straighten the three sharp hairpin bends in the ghat section of the road. The meeting demanded break facilities for travellers during traffic snarls on the road and services of police and crane operators during rush hours.
The meeting assessed the progress in the follow-up process for the construction of the proposed Poozhithodu-Padinharethara alternative road, fund utilisation by MLAs, training programmes for English language teachers at model residential schools for tribal children, setting up of infrastructure facilities for the Wayanad Government Medical College Hospital and the opening of a facilitation centre for tourists at Nellarachal.
Additional District Magistrate N.I. Shaju, District Planning Officer R. Manilal, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
