A tragic road accident near Kakkanad has drawn public attention to severe pedestrian safety hazards in Kochi. On Wednesday (November 5) morning at around 8:20 a.m., 28-year-old Akshara, a senior consultant with EY (Kochi Infopark), was walking home from a gym session along Kakkanad-Infopark Road near Kuzhikkattumoola. A private bus travelling at high speed knocked her down and ran over her as she walked along the edge of the street. Although she was rushed to a nearby private hospital, she succumbed to her injuries by 11:00 a.m.. The Infopark police later arrested the bus driver, Binoy, under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

To advertise here,

Tech workers unite to demand safer streets

The tragic loss triggered immediate grief and anger across the Infopark IT community. Tech professionals held a candlelit vigil on Thursday evening to honour Akshara's memory. IT employee groups, including Progressive Techies and Prathidhwani, launched public campaigns demanding safer roads. Workers highlighted that narrow roads, heavy traffic, and competitive speeding by private buses make daily commuting dangerous. They pointed out that a lack of footpaths forces pedestrians directly onto busy roads alongside speeding traffic. Progressive Techies started a digital signature petition that quickly gathered thousands of signatures, calling for the removal of roadside encroachments, road widening, and proper footpaths between IMG Junction and Infopark. Prathidhwani also announced plans to file a public interest litigation in the Kerala High Court.

High Court steps in with strict directives

Taking note of the tragedy, the Kerala High Court expressed severe concern on Friday over reckless driving and systemic safety failures. After reviewing video footage of the accident, Justice Devan Ramachandran observed that the victim was walking on the extreme edge of the road because no footpath existed. The court criticised local municipal authorities for failing to keep footpaths clear of encroachments and parked vehicles. Responding to the court, the Kochi police promised a new Smart ID system using QR codes to track private bus drivers and their traffic violations. The court gave authorities one week to bring all private bus drivers under this tracking system. Additionally, the court ordered that the Traffic Eye complaint helpline number, 6238100100, must be displayed prominently on all private buses so passengers and pedestrians can report unsafe driving directly. The court will hear the matter again on November 13.