The plight of the drainage project on Mavoor Road is in further jeopardy after the contractor pulled out of the project to avoid the huge loss from the delay in work.
If residents — who blocked the work alleging that it would only cause further flooding in the area — did not make peace with the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) Kozhikode Corporation wing, this may end up as another incomplete project. The Asian Development Bank that is funding the project has set the deadline as September 30. At the current pace of the work, the KSUDP officials in Kozhikode are not confident it will be completed before the funds lapse.
The drainage work, though completed on Mavoor Road, would not be useful if the next phase through the Azhakodi cross road and the mini-bypass road is not completed. As of now, the work has been delayed for more than a week as local people object to further digging near Azhakodi to lay pipelines. The KSUDP and the Corporation tried to negotiate with the people, but in vain.
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“The machinery used for the work is very expensive and the contractor has to pay a huge amount as rent. There is a chance they will get rusty in the rain if kept idle. We discussed the idea of completing the work under police protection. But that will only irritate the local people and they may turn violent or damage the machinery,” KSUDP project manager Mohan K. says.
He says that it was impossible to complete the work within 10 days, before the monsoon starts, and can be resumed only after the rain, with public consent. “Why should we take the risk if the public do not want it?” he asks and says it is the task of the Corporation to convince people.
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