Several interior roads in the city are left in a shambles after Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEB) took up trenching for laying underground power cables.
The power utility, under Centrally sponsored schemes, took up the work on replacing 11-kV overhead power lines and its underground cables in a bid to reduce transmission loss and prevent supply disruption during heavy rain.
Residents said the move to lay the power cables underground was a welcome initiative but it added to the woes of city commuters, who were already stressed due to traffic bottlenecks and non-availability of parking spaces.
“The dug-up roads remain a hazard for us, especially during night. Travelling on motorbikes has become very risky,” said Raju, a resident of Vettamukku. Driving through the area has become extremely difficult as only half the width of the road was navigable, he added.
The KSEB had tried to make the roads usable by covering the trenches with red sand, however, it worsened the plight of residents. “Red sand is all over the place now, even inside our homes,” said a resident of Maruthamkuzy.
A senior KSEB official told The Hindu that it had completed 90 per cent of the cable-laying works. It had been reported to the utility that restoration work was yet to be completed by city Corporation and the Public Works Department (PWD) in several areas.
“As per the norms, we have to close the ditch after cable-laying work. The restoration work has to be carried out by the city Corporation and the PWD. We have already remitted Rs.4.5 crore to the civic body for re-laying the roads,” the official said.
An official in the works wing of the Corporation said contractors were not willing to take up work. Huge amounts were due to them. There was substantial delay in clearing the bills for works taken up by the contractors, the official said adding that some of the restoration work would be taken up using the maintenance grant. The contractors were ready to take up work using maintenance grant as bills were cleared without much hindrance, the official said.
Rs.4.5 crore given to Corporation,
says KSEB
Contractors reluctant to
take up work
