With poor supervision, the condition of a number of newly tarred city roads, which were dug up for pipe-laying and other works, is back to square one. At many locations, road surfaces were just filled without meeting quality standards.
“The best example is some of the filled spots along the Puthiyangadi-Kunduparamba road. There are now many bumpy patches along the road which Public Works Department officials are yet to inspect or adopt proper follow-up measures,” says V.A. Purushothaman, a local resident. He points out that it poses a safety threat to vehicles with low ground clearance and motorbikes.
Motorists also point out that such newly filled spots slowly turn into potholes unable to withstand heavy vehicular traffic. Small bump-like structures are also causing huge jerks and even lead to accidents, they add.
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One of the main allegations is that Public Works Department Officials are not inspecting such works often carried out by local contractors. In the case of roads owned by local self-government bodies, the negligence to complete such re-tarring works is very evident. The shortage of site engineers is also preventing many local bodies to monitor such works.
“There are also private firms and individuals who cut the road after obtaining permission from the authorities concerned for private pipe-laying or cable works. One can simply notice the difference in space before and after such works,” says a retired Civil Engineer from Pavangad. According to him, there should be a separate engineering team to inspect such works that affect road safety and take action against responsible persons.
Meanwhile, some of the private contractors say that the payment for such smaller re-tarring works is very low and many are forced to finish the work with available budget. They also add that the time given to complete such tasks is limited considering the flow of vehicles and the disruption in water supply or power connectivity.
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