Newly Introduced Traffic Regulations in Aluva Prompts Traders to Down Shutters

A joint forum of various trade unions  in Aluva will observe a 24-hour shutdown on Tuesday (28th October) to protest against the traffic regulations which has led to utter confusion and chaos on the town roads in Aluva.

The shops that are located within the Aluva municipality limits will remain closed from Tuesday 12 am till midnight on Wednesday. Nazeer Babu, the president of Aluva Merchants' Association, said the traders expected the police to withdraw the traffic regulations at the earliest.

Earlier, in the discussions held with the authorities, it was promised a new traffic system as per the demands that were put forward by traders will be considered. However, no major changes in this regard were effected till Monday evening and hence the traders decided to press ahead with strike. Babu said all the trade unions are supporting the strike and on behalf of this a protest march will be held in front of muncipal chairperson's office at 11 am. However, there will be no blockade of vehicles and the officers will make sure that enough reinforcements are deployed to prevent any toward incidents.

Heavy Rain At Aluva

Some pictures that I took yesterday when it rained heavily in Aluva and surrounding areas. I took these picture from the service road,  just below the Aluva bridge and over-bridge at Aluva bypass junction. The rain was so heavy that it lasted for almost more than one hour and I was really stranded at the verandah of a small shop. 

Heavy Rain in Aluva Brings Relief From Summer Heat

The heavy rain that lashed out in Aluva and its surrounding area yesterday evening, have brought the much awaited respite from the excessive heat experienced in this area for the past few weeks. Even though it was raining heavily in the surrounding districts of Ernakulam for the last few days, Aluva had been deprived of the summer showers leaving the area in unbearable scorching heat.

Few areas were also experiencing issues with sufficient drinking water and this summer rain might help in resolving that issue to some extent. 2 or 3 continuous rains in the coming days would really bring some true respite from the summer heat in Aluva. Actually the isolated rain that Aluva experienced would further worsen the climatic conditions if it do not rain in the next 2 or 3 days. The isolate rains would again increase the heat and also bring high level of humidity.

But yesterday's rain has helped to reduce the level of dust particles especially on the road and hope that there would be no issue of dust in the coming days. Some of the major roads such as the one leading from Kadungalloor to Muppathadam Junction had been tarred fully 3 days back, and this rain has helped to clean away the dust and make the road more rigid and beautiful.

The rain also has given fresh life to the plants surrounding my compound as they were all on the verge of burning out in the extreme heat. The rain also helped to purify the air, as Aluva is an industrial area and the polluted air would be cleaned to some extend with the help of such summer rains. Places such as Eloor, Pathalam, Muppathadam etc are all industrial area and the pollution level is always high on the areas surrounding these places. The rain would help in removing some of the atmospheric pollution and give fresh air to residents. Hope that the summer rain would come again in the next 2-3 days in Aluva.

Aluva is Not at all a good Shopping Destination

I have been staying in Aluva for the last 4 months and was really comfortable with the city as it had every facility such as KSRTC bus stand, railway station and airport in the near vicinity. Aluva is also a good town to spend your time in the evening and the Periyar river bank in Aluva is one of the major attractions of Aluva.

But still Aluva is lacking some major things and I noticed this only when I experienced the lack of certain things in my personal life. Unlike other major municipalities in Ernakulam district, Aluva is not the best place for shopping. Aluva does not have a good shopping destination when compared with the other cities.

A major example for the above fact is that if you go for buying some good cloth materials in Aluva, you will feel disappointed as you might not be able to get a good cloth item in Aluva. The reasons may be many such as limited selections, bad quality, low profile shops etc. Same is the case of Gold shops in Aluva, as there are a number of small shops but none of them would be able to provide the ornaments that you are looking out for.

The only big name in dress showroom at Aluva is the Seemas which is pathetic to say the least. I am still wondering what they are doing in that huge building by the side of the National Highway. I once happened to go there for a shopping and really felt bad at the bad selection of dress materials that were present. Moreover, if you visit Seemas in Aluva  you can see a huge crowd inside and feel like you are standing in the middle of a vegetable market. The sales girls at Seemas were trying their best to convince me, but I could not help myself from running out of the showroom.

If you need to go for a gold shopping or dress shopping, then don't even dare to think about Aluva. Instead you can visit Angamaly or Kochi for a better shopping experience. In my opinion, Angamaly is one of the best place for shopping when compared with Aluva.

Aluva Overbridge Opened - But Promises Still in The Air

The much awaited Aluva Over bridge was open to the public few days back and it is sure to bring some respite to the heavy traffic around the Aluva byepass region, where the National Highway 47 cuts past to Aluva Town. At the Aluva Bye pass vehicles coming from Aluva to the National Highway, vechicles coming into Aluva town, vehicles going from Ernakulam to the nothern cities of Kerala and the vehicles from the northern cities to Ernakulam and other southern cities of Kerala meet together. As a result huge traffic congestions were experienced at the bye pass area during the peak hours.

After a lot of request by the locals and other representative, the plan for the over bridge at the Aluva Byepass was sanctioned and after trailing for  a long time, it got completed a few months back. The over bridge was opened to public few days back and the traffic seems to be much smoother in this part these days. Even though the overbridge has been opened, there are many promises made by the National Highway Authority of India which are yet to be fulfilled.

One such promise was the construction of the road from the Aluva general market to the new market, and this road was supposed to pass beneath the over bridge. But still the authorities have not done anything in constructing a smooth road to join the general market and the new market in Aluva. So the vehicles which are supposed to enter the general market or the new market in Aluva are still experiencing serious difficulty.

The Aluva Merchants association have requested the authorities to construct the road as soon as possible so that the vehicles can reach the market without any difficulty.

Traffic in Aluva Town Really Terrible During the Day Time

Aluva is a nice town during the free hours, but during the peak hours it is one of the most congested places if you are travelling on your vehicle. Unlike other towns the roads of Aluva are really broader and we could never think of such traffic blocks with such beautiful and big roads. I have rarely travelled inside Aluva town during the peak hours and recently I got a chance to taste the traffic of Aluva town during the peak hours.

This time I entered Aluva through the National Highway 47 Bye Pass near the bank junction and from the bank junction till the KSRTC bus station in Aluva, the traffic was really horrible. If I am right, I think that most of the one ways are misused by the people as vehicles are passing in both the sides on the so called one ways, making it more hectic for the other vehicles.

The conditions of the roads in Aluva town have become worse after the recent monsoon, and this makes the travel more difficult. The most congested areas are the pump junction, the railway station junction and the KSRTC junction at Aluva. Other places are not free from this traffic hassle, but the above mentioned are the places that we are least interested to travel through. It is high time that the authorities do something to get rid of these traffic issues at the peak hours. Traffic polices should be put on duty on atleast the major junctions inside Aluva town.

Introduction to Aluva

Before going on full stretch with this blog, let me give you a brief introduction about Aluva, a beautiful city in Ernakulam district in Kerala. Aluva( Alwaye), is one of most famous Municipality city in Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is home to some of the major Industries in Kerala and is considered as a part of the Kochi Metropolitan area. Aluva is famous for the Aluva Sivarathri festival at Manal Puram (banks of Periyar River) which involves a month long celebrations including amazing carnivals. Aluva is also famous for the Marthandavarma Bridge which lies on NH 47 linking Aluva to Angamaly and  Aluva Palace, the summer Palace of Travancore royalty on the banks of River Periyar.

Aluva is well connected to the other major cities of Kerala by rail and road. The neared airport is at Nedumbaserry which is just around 8 kms away. Aluva also has some of the best educational facilities in Eranakulam district providing education in different branches. More information, updates and attractions of Aluva would be posted regularly on this blog in the coming days. Hope you all enjoy this.