After a year of applying for permission for trenching city roads, Indian Oil - Adani Gas Private Limited hopes that the civic body will decide in their favour.
It is now for the Kochi Corporation to act as the company has already submitted an application, said a company official.
With the State government entrusting the task of restoring roads with the Public Works Department (PWD), the firm has been relieved of the responsibility.
The company had approached the civic body seeking permission for trenching at a distance of four kilometre, said the official who wished not to be quoted.
The recent government decision, hoped the official, would work in the firm’s favour.
Fears of non-motorability
It was the apprehension that city roads, which are in a relatively better condition, might become non-motorable during the fag end of the term of the present council if they were not properly repaired, that prompted councillors to adopt a tough stance against the proposal.
On the firm laying pipelines in some parts of the city, including service roads of the National Highway, the official said that work was carried out only after obtaining clearances from the agencies concerned including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The pilot project, which was implemented in Kalamassery municipality, had hit roadblocks.
The municipal authorities also complained that roads were not properly restored in areas under the civic body.
However, the company official denied the charges and maintained that it had fulfilled its obligations. The Kalamassery municipality had to complete the work for which restoration charges were paid, he said.
