The lost sheen on newly tarred roads

Recent rain and lack of proper drains have damaged the roads

Last week’s rain has messed up several newly tarred roads in the city that do not have proper drainage facilities and where pipe-laying works undertaken by private contractors are yet to be complete.

The rain brought slush from nearby compounds into these newly tarred roads and with no channel to drain the mud water, the roads got damaged and blocked traffic.

Adding to the clutter

Incomplete pipe-laying works that keep the road dug-up, add to the clutter on the roads.

The East Hill- Puthiyangadi road, which was earlier in good condition, is now in a ploughed-up state following the pipe-laying works for a sewage treatment plant in the region.

The recent rain has added to the mess, with the entire road covered now with the soil dug out for the pipe-laying works.

“When the work started, there were promises aplenty on time-bound completion. But after the pipe-laying, nothing was done about the dug-up road,” said Sajith Kumar, a resident at East Hill.

The delay in repair work and the absence of proper drainage facilities were also causing a number of freak accidents especially involving two-wheelers, he said.

Other roads

Similarly, a number of newly renovated roads in and around East Hill, Athanikkal, Kunduparamba, Puthiyangadi, and Karaparamba are on the verge of collapse.

“It was just four or five months ago that most of the internal roads in and around Athanikkal and Puthiyangadi were renovated. And one would be surprised to see the current plight of all those roads,” said P. Rameshan, another resident in the area.

With monsoon to set in soon, the situation would only worsen, people feared.

C.M. Sathyabhama, Corporation Councilor from Athanikkal ward, said lack of fund was one of the main reasons for not constructing drainages.

“The issue was very serious near the Government Guest House at West Hill. We will be trying to address it with an already sanctioned fund,” she added.

If lack of drainage facilities is the issue on internal roads, uncovered drains are the problem on some important city roads.

Even after the death of a woman falling into the open drain in the last year, proper maintenance works are yet to be carried out in several locations.

When contacted, officials from the Public Works Department said they would look into the issue shortly. A recent meeting chaired by District Collector C.A. Latha had reviewed the situation. All important works would be completed ahead of the monsoon season, they said.