Court dismisses petition against traffic reforms in Attingal

Attingal: Munsif court dismissed the petition filed by block congress president P. Unnikrishnan yesterday, thereby shattering the last hope of anti-traffic reform group in Attingal – comprising mainly of shopkeepers around private bus stand, UDF leaders and local journalists. The court stated that Road Transport Authority (RTA) holds the right to implement a new traffic arrangement and the present traffic arrangement is Attingal is made in an experimental basis. Moreover, the court observed, the plaintiff had participated in two meetings before implementing the new arrangement and had said nothing against the traffic reforms in those meetings. The court expressed doubts regarding the intention of the plaintiff. However, the court instructed authorities to rectify the problems, if any, arising from the new traffic arrangement.

Meanwhile, the meeting conducted in the Town Hall yesterday for reviewing the progress, or the lack of it, of the new traffic arrangement failed to reach any conclusions. Allegations and counter-allegations flowed between pro- and anti-traffic reform groups. Interestingly, CPI, a part of the ruling LDF, opposed the traffic reforms. UDF partners showed more solidarity and they were united in their opposition of the reforms. It was left to CPM and Janathadal to support the new arrangement. In fact they managed to put up a strong resistance in face of a rather stiff opposition of different quarters. In another interesting turn, one person accused local journalists of unfairly opposing the new traffic arrangement for hidden benefits. Amidst all this name calling and mud-slinging, a consensus was never even imagined in the meeting.

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