Thursday, 4 April 2019

Drdinakaran Gopalan's Public Interest Petition to Hon. High Court of Kerala for urgent repair & widening of narrow Bridge @Anjilithanam


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Filing of PUBLIC INTEREST PETITION – against the Public Works Department and Government of Kerala for the negligent attitude towards worst damaged narrow bridge of high    risk potential for major man-made disaster:

From
Gopalan Dinakaran                                            BY REGISTERED POST
Sivakrupa, Anjilithanam P O,                           4th  November, 2005
Thiruvalla, Dt. Pathanamthitta, Kerala Pin 689 582

To
The Honourable Chief Justice of Kerala High Court,
Ernakulam,
Pin  682 011

Sub: > Filing of PUBLIC INTEREST PETITION – against the Public Works Department and Government of Kerala for the negligent attitude towards worst damaged narrow bridge of high risk potential for major man-made disaster:
Respected Honourable Chief Justice of Kerala High Court,
Finding no other option to prevent a major accident/disaster on a narrow heavy Traffic bridge in my neighbourhood, I, Gopalan Dinakaran, with the permission of the Honourable Kerala High Court, humbly wish to submit this PUBLIC INTEREST PETITION before the  Honourable Court of Chief Justice, High Court, Ernakulam.
The facts of the Petition are explained hereunder:
1.      An approximately 60 years old narrow concrete damaged bridge (only one bus at a time can cross the bridge, and the side hand-rails at both sides does not exist even for name-sake)  located at Anjilithanam on the heavy traffic Changanacherry-Paippad-Thottabhagam-Pathanamthitta main road is virtually unfit to heavy traffic for the last 10 years.  This road links Pathanamthitta and  Kottayam District s. This bridge connects Paipad Panchayat in Kottayam District and Kunnanthanam Panchayat in Pathanamthitta District.  Sharp curve from hilly terrain towards the down approach road leading to the bridge, lack of proper area lighting at night, narrow-ness, having no side rails on both sides, and the depth between the water stream down below and the bridge is approximately 20 ft to 25 ft.  This bridge is now proned high risk accident/disaster.
2.     Due to the reasons explained above, several four wheelers and two wheeters gave way mostly at night and fallen down the water stream  with minor or major injuries.  Last year one empty passenger bus on their return journey at night had fallen down and driver and conductor got seriously injured.
3.     Of late, one School bus carrying about 50 students belonging to an English Medium Public School, Tiruvalla had a hit on side debris and miraculously escaped.  Perhaps God has  saved the lives of many at this time.  This incident, when explained by a child, prompted me to place my request before the Honourable Court. (Name of School withheld).
4.     Year after year, just before the elections, Honourable Ministers, MLAs, MPs and other top political leaders are invited by different political parties, collect small donations, put up beautiful pandals, arrange mike sets, induce public gatherings near the damaged bridge and conduct public meetings in which assurances are given for a quick solution to the villagers’ ten-year-old problem.  We, the innocent villagers.  Believed them yesterday, today and will believe tomorrow.  Unfortunatelely no solution has come so far.
5.     The latest Public meeting in the series was chaired by the Honourable PWD Minister who was very kind to give an assurance to solve the problem within the next following months.  This public meeting was held just before the last elections.  However, the residents of Anjilithanam and the road-users here are still to find any movement in this direction.  None is available even to put up red flag signals. All hopes are lost.
6.     In the aforesaid road, not less than 60 private buses and other vehicles ply to-and-for trips daily.  All known commuters are aware about the bad condition of the bridge and new commuters could meet with unfortunate disasters.  We are very much worried because, we, our relations and our children travel daily through this dangerous damaged risky bridge.
Hence this Public Interest Petition:

I, Gopalan Dinakaran, therefore, with the kind permission of the Honourable  High Court, Cochin, place  this Public Interest Petition, before the Honourable Kerala High Court with a submission to direct the Kerala State Government and the Public Works Department to replace this old and damaged bridge on topmost priority within a specified short-time to avert a possible major man-made disaster in this other-wise neglected zero-level-developed village hamlet. Ninety percent population here consists of labourers and unemployed youth.  One seventy-year old Malayalam Medium Lower Primary School, one Temporary Lower Grade Post Office and  one Anganwadi are the total development for this large area population.  When no happiness is provided, we expect justice atleast not to have a man-made disaster for our people.

With most respectable regards,
This Public Interest Petition is submitted to the Honourable Kerala Highcourt on the 4th November, 2005.

Most failthly,
Gopalan Dinakaran
Sivakrupa
Anjilithanam
Thiruvalla,
Dt. Pathanamthitta Pin 689 582
Kerala.
Anjilithanam, dated 4th November, 2005.

Further developments:

Immediately after sending the Petition to the Hon. High Court, an Investigating Officer, Dr. Agith Thomas John, Investigation Officer, Kollam  visited Anjilithanam area, Kunnathanam Panchayath  and later met me and further made an
Enquiry about the facts and he reported to the Government authorities positively .  Within a week or so, the authorities were kind enough to repair the bridge and solved the problem of our villages and the road users here.  Except my neighbor Mr. M. K. Sreedharan and Dr. Agith Thomas John, nobody is aware about this Public Petition sent to the Hon. High Court of Kerala. 

Latest development:

Today is 4th  April, 2019 when 14 years completing by today the same bridge’s width gets doubled as part of great development on the Changanachery-Kaviyur-Thottabhagam Road.   Seeing the wider bridge and the happiness of people around, I thought it better to put this info in the Blogger on 4th April, 2019.

I would request Dr. Agith Thomas John to write few words here.
Thank you very much Dr. Agith Thomas John.



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