Pettah Junction traffic signals have remained defunct in Thiruvananthapuram, causing congestion on routes towards the airport and NH 47 and prompting the city corporation to plan a meeting with Smart City Thiruvananthapuram officials over delayed repairs.
A Smart City source acknowledged that the signals were not functioning and said the issue had been taken up with the contractor responsible for maintenance. The main contractor had engaged a subcontractor to carry out the repair work, but around Rs 25 lakh in payments to the subcontractor remained pending.
“The contractor has been asked to resolve the issue and ensure that the signals resume functioning,” the source said, adding that the problem would be resolved. The source did not specify a date for the restoration of the signals.
With the junction’s automated traffic system out of order, traffic police personnel have been regulating vehicle movement manually, particularly during peak hours. Long queues have formed, inconveniencing commuters travelling towards the airport and NH 47.
Corporation secretary J Muhamed Shafi said the signal failure had become a major cause of congestion. The corporation is expected to raise the issue with Smart City officials, who are responsible for maintaining the city’s traffic signals under an arrangement that runs until 2029.
Four traffic police personnel are currently deployed at Pettah Junction to manage vehicle movement. South zone traffic assistant commissioner K B Manoj Kumar said the personnel could be assigned other duties once the signals were restored.
The reported payment dispute has linked the junction’s operational failure to the maintenance chain overseeing the city’s traffic infrastructure. The corporation’s proposed meeting with Smart City officials is the next stated step towards resolving the malfunction and returning the junction to signal-based traffic management.
