The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) must focus on doing quality resurfacing of damaged parts of the Edappally-Aroor NH 47 bypass rather than unnecessarily challenge the stoppage of toll collection, District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam has said.
The agency is collecting the toll to maintain the bypass in top condition and so must ensure a safe and hassle free ride to motorists, he said, while reacting to NHAI officials challenging his order stopping collection of toll until all road repair works are done on the 16-km stretch.
“Let them challenge the order before court, instead of just talking,” Mr. Rajamanickam said.
The NHAI has sought another two days’ time to complete repair works on the stretch. As on Tuesday, the agency has temporarily filled just a few potholes, leaving those nearby unattended.
‘No maintenance’Though NHAI officials cited the rains as a reason for not repairing gaping potholes, Mr Rajamanickam justified stoppage of toll by citing how the NHAI failed to repair damaged parts of the road during summer months.
The rains worsened potholes that were aplenty on the bypass, service roads and bridges on the stretch. Moreover, the NHAI did not intensify repair works though rains took a five-day break a week ago. Officials of the agency were not available for comment. Reacting to the public demand that the PWD take over upkeep of NH bypass, a high-ranking PWD official said that the agency was willing to do so, to ensure prompt repairs and to remove bottlenecks to free movement of vehicles. Metro contractors have in the meantime said that the ongoing resurfacing work of damaged roads in the metro corridor will be over by Sunday, though the deadline would expire on September 5.
Mr. Rajamanickam had on Monday threatened to slap criminal charges against Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) for any delay in restoring roads in the Aluva-Kadavanthra stretch where metro’s civil works are underway. He had threatened to invoke Section 133 (conditional order for removal of nuisance) of Cr.P.C. against Kochi metro’s nodal agency KMRL.