Vexed with the inordinate delay on the part of government agencies in repairing roads in the city and suburbs, the Ernakulam District Residents Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC) has demanded that all arterial and side roads be restored before Onam on war footing.
Restoration work“The PWD, NHAI, Kochi Corporation, GCDA, and GIDA have failed to carry out temporary restoration of roads, taking motorists for a ride during the festive season,” said P. Rangadasa Prabhu, president of the council. “The tourist season also is set to begin, and travellers will shun destinations linked by potholed roads,” he added.
He wondered as to how agencies like the PWD, which cite rain as an excuse for not repairing roads, managed to tar arterial roads through which the Vice President travelled during his Kochi visit on Wednesday. “The ineptitude of government agencies is all set to dampen the festive spirit, since potholes are slowing down vehicles and causing accidents and fuel wastage. Rain would not have damaged roads this severely had quality tarring been done during summer. Even civil contractors deployed by the DMRC have not properly restored damaged roads in the metro corridor,” Mr. Prabhu said.
Govt. blamed for delayA senior PWD engineer attributed the department’s failure to repair busy roads to delay in getting administrative sanction. “We had sent a list of roads to be repaired to the government a month ago. The delay has resulted in potholes becoming larger,” he said.
The GCDA is under fire for not repairing potholes that have developed on the 3-km Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, the only road it maintains. “A section of roads dug up by the KWA has been restored using concrete tiles. Retarring work worth over Rs.2 crore has been awarded, and it will be done once the rain ends. We need the State government’s nod for doing temporary restoration work,” said a PWD engineer.
Better roads soonThe corporation will ensure that all roads are made motorable by Onam, said a senior engineer of the civic body.
“Work has already begun. Patch work has been done on most bylanes when rain took a break,” she added.
The NHAI has been under fire for the inordinate delay in ensuring motorable service roads along the 16-km Edappally-Aroor NH 47 bypass.
The kerb of these roads has given away at several places, as the road shoulder has been washed away.
While not committing when service roads will be restored, an NHAI official said care would be taken to restore damaged portions of the NH bypass like the one south of Vyttila where buses and vehicles coming from Power House Road enter the NH bypass.
