The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has registered a case over three unrepaired damaged stretches on the old road connecting Murinjapalam with the Medical College hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, after the road reportedly caved in two months ago and continued to pose risks to vehicles, including ambulances.
SHRC chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas issued a notice to the Road Fund Board, directing the Public Works Department executive engineer and the head of the Road Fund Board to take necessary action and submit a report within two weeks. The proceeding follows a complaint filed by public activist P K Raju.
According to the complaint, vehicles frequently fell into potholes on the affected stretch. The road is used by vehicles travelling to five hospitals in the area, making its condition particularly significant for emergency access and routine hospital traffic. The complaint alleged that authorities had failed to take corrective measures despite repeated representations.
The road connects Murinjapalam with the Medical College hospital and serves as an old route to one of Thiruvananthapuram’s key healthcare areas. The reported damage includes three stretches where the road surface has remained unrepaired after the cave-in. The available report does not specify the length of the damaged sections, the cause of the cave-in or whether any temporary safety measures have been installed.
The SHRC notice places responsibility for responding with both the PWD executive engineer and the Road Fund Board. The two agencies have been asked to act on the reported road condition and provide their report to the commission within the stipulated two-week period. The proceedings will indicate what remedial steps the authorities propose and how they account for the delay alleged in the complaint.
The case also brings attention to the operational consequences of deteriorating roads around major hospitals. Potholes and collapsed sections can slow ordinary traffic and complicate ambulance movement, although the supplied report does not record any specific accident, treatment delay or emergency incident linked to the road.
The immediate next step is the submission of the action report by the PWD executive engineer and the Road Fund Board head within two weeks. The commission’s further proceedings will depend on the response and the corrective measures reported by the authorities.
