Thiruvananthapuram: The state human rights commission (SHRC) has directed the district collector to convene a meeting of senior officials and expedite the construction of service roads on either side of the Kovalam-Porode bridge on the Kazhakkoottam-Karode bypass.The MP and MLA concerned should also be invited to the meeting, directed SHRC chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas.The meeting should take decisions to facilitate the resumption of stalled construction works through the agencies concerned. The NHAI should take steps to complete the service roads, giving due consideration to the views of the MP and MLA, the commission said.The district collector, NHAI officials and the head of the PWD national highway wing have been directed to submit a report on the action taken within four weeks. The officials have also been asked to appear before the commission at its sitting on Nov 2, when the case will be considered.Construction of the service roads at the location had remained stalled for years, with the abandoned stretches now overgrown with bushes. Deep pits have also formed on either side of the bypass.The absence of service roads has made crossing the highway hazardous, and several people have reportedly lost their lives while attempting to cross the stretch, according to the complaint considered by the commission.
