The best of predictions about the onset of monsoon and how long it may last have gone awry in the past.
But the predictions that the city roads would turn into muddy, potholed ones never turn out to be incorrect. Things have gone along the predicted lines this monsoon too with the city roads getting wider and deeper because of potholes.
The nightmarish experience on city roads could primarily be attributed to the ongoing Kochi Metro works with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) racing against time to commission the project on time.
“Kochi Metro corridors, including M.G. Road, Banerjee Road and S.A. Road are the most affected stretches in the city. The movement of heavy construction vehicles along these roads is not helping either. DMRC is supposed to maintain these roads. Though S.A. Road is our property, we could not carry out repair works amidst the Kochi Metro construction works,” Mayor Soumini Jain told The Hindu . The gaping potholes have also reduced the traffic to a snail’s pace with bumper-to-bumper traffic being the norm. Motorists slow down at Palarivattom Bypass Junction to manoeuvre past potholes at the traffic signal and most of them again get stuck in the red signal.
After losing considerable time in traffic blocks, private buses compensate it by speeding on good stretches, posing threat to other road users.
Roads built 5 years ago
Ms. Jain claimed that in the past five years, the Corporation had spent Rs.35-40 crore on roads built with a five-year guarantee. “Some of these roads are in a bad shape now. That is not because of low-quality work but a result digging up these roads for laying water pipelines,” she said.
The Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road of the Greater Cochin Development Authority is a good example of how a road in perfect condition could be turned into a muddy pool in the name of laying pipelines.
Amidst all this, pedestrians remain a neglected lot as they are left with no space to walk or hide when vehicles speeding through potholes threaten to splash muddy water all over them.
Reporting by M.P. Praveen
