The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has criticised government departments for neglecting their duties and seeking to shun responsibility in issues that require immediate attention.
The observation was made by SHRC Chairman J.B. Koshy with reference to a dispute between the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation regarding the reconstruction of a road.
The issue pertains to a 7-foot-deep crater that formed on the VJT Hall-Jubilee Memorial Hospital road, after the compound wall of Government Sanskrit College collapsed last year.
Principal’s letter
The college Principal had initially written to the Roads wing of the PWD on October 20, 2014, seeking steps to reconstruct the wall.
However, the Roads wing put the onus on the Buildings wing of the PWD.
The Principal apprised the Buildings wing of the situation on October 31.
On receiving no response, he sent reminders on February 11 and April 9, but to no avail.
On being asked for an explanation by the commission, the PWD Secretary claimed that the road did not come under the department’s purview and that the same, along with the wall, had to be reconstructed by the Corporation.
The commission was forced to intervene to resolve the issue.
It ruled that the PWD must reconstruct the compound wall, and the road should be relaid by the Corporation.
The commission also directed the Corporation Secretary and the Local Self-government Department Secretary to file reports regarding the construction of the road by July 8.
The case will be taken up for consideration at the commission headquarters at 11 a.m. on July 15.
