Trenching turns death trap for motorists on Subhash Bose Road

KWA pipe-laying work still on; civic body yet to resurface stretch where trenching is over

Risky ride: Almost half the width of Subhash Bose Road is in unusable condition. The stretch turns particularly dangerous at night for motorists and pedestrians.

The 2.5-km-long Subhash Bose Road that runs parallel to SA Road has been in a dilapidated state for the past more than four months since the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has not completed its pipe-laying work, nor has the Kochi Corporation resurfaced the stretch where trenching is over.

Around half the width of the corporation-owned road that links Vyttila with Kadavanthra has not been restored after being dug up, commuters relying on the road to avoid the acute traffic snarls on SA Road are in a catch-22 situation.

A senior KWA official associated with the work said the road was trenched as part of the project to lay a 500-mm pipeline between the agency’s Thammanam pump house and Kadavanthra tank. “Work on the Kadavanthra-Ponnurunni stretch will be over in another 15 days, while it will begin on the Ponnurunni-Thammanam stretch soon after. The KWA has already deposited the money needed to repair the trenched portion with Kochi Corporation,” he added.

The pipeline is being laid under the Amrut (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme, which was earlier referred to as the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Trenching on the road has caused serious safety issues since vehicles moving in the Ponnurunni-Kadavanthra direction are forced to violate lane discipline and enter the opposite track. Neither has the dug-up portion been barricaded. Moreover, the dust kicked up by vehicles is affecting students of schools as well as those visiting shops in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, the Kadavanthra police registered an FIR after a car owned by Janapaksham State convenor Benny Joseph fell into a trench at night resulting in repair worth ₹1.43 lakh. “Though reluctant initially, the police decided to register an FIR after I threatened to file a private complaint before the court on the issue. The KWA engineer and contractor concerned were arraigned as accused,” Mr. Joseph said.

Mandatory barricades

While expressing shock at the delay on the part of the KWA in completing the work, Mr. Joseph said the police could charge a case against the engineer and contractor if they failed to install barricades with lights/reflectors and placed display boards on either end stating details like the contractor’s name, phone number, and the time of completion of work.

Contractors reluctant

Responding to the issue, P.M. Harris, chairman of the works standing committee of the Kochi Corporation, said few contractors had been taking up repair of major roads owing to delay of around two years in payment of dues. “They also seek higher amounts to execute the work. We will place the issue before the corporation council as a priority work that needs urgent attention,” he said.