Well-maintained roads are a feature of most capital cities across the world. This, however, is not the case in Kerala’s capital city, Thiruvananthapuram.
It’s not that the city does not have such roads. Just that they don’t remain in good condition. for more than a few days before they are dug up.
Take the case of any stretch in the city, be it at East Fort or towards the NH Bypass, or the Kowdiar-Nanthencode areas, M.G. Road, or Palayam-Vellayambalam. A week after the roads are repaired or given a fresh coat of tar, an army of departments, private agencies and several others descend on the spot. And ‘Operation Dig Up’ begins. Some do it with drillers, some with tar cutters, but many prefer the crude thud as the pickaxe falls on tar.
Of course, these works are for public good. But, the manner in which the roads are restored, or rather, not restored, is the issue. One recent and evident example is the manner in which roads across the city were dug up to expand a private firm’s optic fibre network. The remnants of the cable covers and the debris were left on the spot, with the dug-up portion shoddily restored. Two-wheeler riders face the risk of accidents, not to speak of the traffic issues that follow as cars try to avoid large gaping holes filled with rainwater.
Some of these repairs have been carried out near traffic signals, like near Uppidamoodu Bridge. Vehicles coming from the Kaithamukku side and from Sreekandeswaram side have to literally stop and cautiously cross a narrow horizontal furrow left by some utility. And, only two vehicles manage to cross the furrow before the signal turns red again, thus leading to slow-moving traffic, that too during rush hours.
The city’s roads have been going through this for long, but now, when the rains are gathering strength and schools have reopened, the impact of this on the public is manifold.
Dennis Marcus Mathew
