Poor condition of coastal road mars tourism potential of Kappad

Visitors turned off by bumpy ride on damaged stretch

Even after the beautification of the Kappad beach, which has won the prestigious Blue Flag certification, the poor condition of the nearby coastal road connecting to the National Highway remains the same, spoiling the ambitious tourism undertaking. The route commonly used by tourists and local people to take a drive along the seashore till the Koyilandy harbour is now in a rundown condition with damaged retaining walls and potholes.

Attempts by tourists to make use of the damaged road for pleasure rides have led to a number of accidents during the holiday rush. Apart from this, parts of the stretch create bottlenecks on the already narrow road between Kappad and Koyilandy where vehicles are likely to fall into the eroded side during attempts to overtake other vehicles.

“There are many small-scale home-stays along this road to cash in on the tourism potential of the area. Sadly, the bumpy ride is dousing the spirit of many visitors,” says a local chef associated with some of the local food-based ventures. He claims that the tidal fluctuations create a scary scene in the absence of strong protective walls in many locations.