Mayor should lovingly say Hariyetta instead of Rajuvetta; Authorities have forgotten man behind East Fort over bridge

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The eight-year struggle of Kowdiar Harikumar has now become a virtue for the city. The foot over bridge, which was inaugurated last day, is the result of his efforts to ensure that no more lives are lost in East Fort. Harikumar had lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in 2014, when seven people were killed in road accidents. In his complaint, he pointed out that the recurring accidents are a violation of the citizen’s right to movement on public roads.

Soon after, Justice J B Koshy, who was then chairman of the HRC, sought a report from the traffic police, corporation, road fund board and National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC). The commission took the stance that to lose lives in the middle of roads is not suitable for a civilized society. However, the reports did not reach the commission accurately. In many sittings, those responsible were not present and things got delayed. However, the complainant was not ready to turn back. In every sitting, he convinced the commission of the prevailing situation. Meanwhile, six people died in 2015 and four in 2016 while the case was still pending before the commission. Following this, on April 2, 2016, the traffic police submitted eight recommendations as a permanent solution to the problem. Out of which, the foot over bridge was the major proposal.

Later on April 18, the HRC forwarded the proposals, including the construction of a foot over bridge, to the corporation. After detailed talks and further actions, the foundation stone for the bridge was laid by then Mayor V K Prashanth on July 18, 2019. The construction works continued for five months, but got halted due to the outbreak of the pandemic. The activities were restored only after the pandemic. However, at all stages of the work, Harikumar constantly inquired about the progress of the project through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.