Defunct street lights along Chettuva bridge in Thrissur, Kerala, raise safety concerns

Months after the street lights on the Chettuva bridge in Thrissur, Kerala, stopped functioning, motorists and pedestrians continue to negotiate the busy stretch in near-total darkness, raising serious concerns over road safety.

The bridge, which carries hundreds of vehicles every day, including heavy trucks and container lorries, has remained unlit at night for several months, despite repeated complaints from local residents.

Residents said they had repeatedly urged the authorities to make the street lights functional and carry out permanent repairs to the bridge’s damaged surface. However, apart from temporary patchwork, no lasting measures have been taken to address the deteriorating condition of the bridge.

“Accidents have become common on the bridge. Recently, a car, a pickup van and a scooter were involved in a collision, leaving the two-wheeler rider critically injured,” said Latheef Kettummal, a social activist who has been spearheading campaigns to draw the authorities’ attention to the bridge’s poor condition. He recently organised a torchlight protest demanding the immediate repair of the street lights and comprehensive repairs to the bridge.

Ironically, while the street lights remain defunct, advertisement boards of a private firm have been installed on almost all the electric poles on the bridge, local people said.

“Authorities have shown greater interest in displaying advertisements than in restoring the street lights needed for public safety,” they alleged. They pointed out that advertisement boards, which had earlier been removed, had reappeared on the bridge even as essential maintenance works remained unattended.

The lack of street lights recently resulted in another accident when a middle-aged fisherman tipped over a raised pedestrian walkway slab and fell onto the road, sustaining minor injuries. A major tragedy was averted as no vehicles were on the road at the time.

Local residents called for the immediate restoration of the streetlights and resurfacing of the bridge. They said uneven tar patches and raised portions on the road posed a serious safety hazard, particularly to two-wheeler riders, and urged the authorities to undertake scientific re-tarring of the entire bridge to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians.