Road repair works in the city will begin when there is let up in the rains, said Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany.
Replying to the debate in the Kochi Corporation council on the road conditions in the city on Tuesday, Mr. Chammany said that no road repair work can be undertaken during the rain as it will not sustain for long. Preparations have been completed for beginning the work and the civic authorities are waiting for favourable weather conditions, he said.
Roads are in a bad shape across the State including Kochi. The Public Works Department has estimated that it would require at least Rs. 800 crore for repairing its roads. The Corporation has sought the support of the State government and various agencies including the Kerala State Construction Corporation for repairing the city roads. The Corporation is planning to draw up a proposal, to be submitted to the State government, for obtaining special assistance for Kochi roads considering the traffic pressure and development activities proposed in the city, he said.
The civic body has also requested the government to re-lay some of the important city roads with improved quality considering the geographical features and traffic pressure, Mr. Chammany said.
Earlier, the LDF councillors criticised the civic administration for failing to repair the city roads and making life miserable for the residents.
Leading the opposition attack, K.J. Jacob, the CPI (M) leader of the council demanded that the Corporation authorities announce the date for commencing the repair works. There are no motorable roads in the city and what are left are patches of roads between potholes, he said.
Listing the roads that required immediate repair, N. Anilkumar of the CPI (M) said that the council had even failed to come up with any programme to address the issues faced by the city dwellers. He also demanded that a list of roads that were damaged within one year of the repair and the contractors who carried out the work be presented in the council.
Though the opposition councillors insisted on announcing a schedule for beginning the repair works, the Mayor refused to budge and stated that the timing of the repair works was dependent on the weather conditions.
Unsatisfied by the Mayor's reply, the Opposition councillors walked out of the council meeting and boycotted the Onam feast hosted by the Mayor.
