Kikruma Village Council (KVC) chairman, Thipuzhoyo Thira, told Eastern Mirror on Saturday that vehicular movement on the stretch of road was disrupted for several hours due to a landslide at the ongoing construction site of the two-lane highway.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]Informing that that the landslide has affected connectivity between Kezo Town and Kikruma, connecting Pfutsero town, he it will cause inconveniences to the people, especially emergency cases like patients needing medical treatment.
The KVC has repeatedly reminded the authority to depute machinery at the affected area to clear the debris and facilitate movement of vehicle without hindrance, he said, adding that commuters and the passengers had been complaining about the condition of the road of late.
The affected road was re-opened to traffic only on Saturday afternoon after the blockade was cleared.
Thira also maintained that the KVC had submitted a letter to the general manager of PMU-Pfutsero, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) on May 30, expressing concern over the stoppage of road construction but it didn’t pay heed despite the area being prone to landslides during monsoon.
In the letter, the village council had said the “termination of the contractor and decision to completely halt construction works at the onset of monsoon” had left the public worried as the region is landslide-prone.
Stating that the development had stopped even regular maintenance works, which could lead to significant health and safety concerns, it had requested those responsible for execution of the project to resume work before the onset of monsoon to prevent possible inconvenience to the public.