Roadworks unlikely to be completed before Onam

Incessant rain is thwarting the attempts of the Kochi Corporation to take up road repairs, according to civic administrators.

Road repair works such as tarring, levelling and filling of potholes could not be effectively carried out during the past few weeks as heavy showers lashed the city, said Mayor Tony Chammany.

Faced with increased public pressure for repairing badly damaged roads in the city and the Kerala High Court order for carrying out the repair works within a couple of weeks, the Kochi Corporation is hoping for the rain to subside.

Pressure is on the civic authorities to make the roads motorable before the festival season. With hardly four days left for Onam, the Corporation may not be able to fulfil its promise of repairing the roads before the festival season.

Incidentally, the Kerala High Court had directed the State government to complete the repair of damaged portions of various roads, State and national highways within three weeks. The Kochi Corporation was given three weeks by the court for repairing the damaged roads within the city and suburban areas. Political pressure is also mounting on the Congress-led civic administration as a section of the Congress councillors has started openly voicing their dissatisfaction over the state of affairs.

N. Venugopal, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary and councillor in the Kochi Corporation, even went to the extent of writing open letters to the KPCC chief, the District Congress Committee president and the Kochi Mayor raising the issue of roads among other things.

Mr. Venugopal was also critical of the attitude of the Kochi Corporation in not holding the contractors responsible for the poor quality of work.

Any roadwork carried out during the rain will not be durable and the roads will soon develop potholes.

The Kochi Corporation was bound to implement the orders of the Kerala High Court regarding the repair of roads. However, such works could be carried out only when the rain subsided, said Mr. Chammany.

The Corporation would appraise the court about the impediments in implementing its order regarding road repairs. The court would also be apprised of the financial position of the Kochi Corporation and the efforts it was taking for repairing the roads, Mr. Chammany said.