KOCHI: As the state claws back to normalcy from the destruction caused by the floods in August -- the worst in a century -- perhaps the most visible progress as far as rebuilding is concerned is in the roads sector.
As per the data accessed by the Express, the Public Works Department has completed 721 works, comprising 636.461 km at a cost of Rs 29.33 crore.
As per the estimates of the PWD, a total of 8136.85 km of roads required repairs following the flood ravage. The cost of the work was estimated at Rs 447.74 crore. Kamala Vardhana Rao IAS, principal secretary, Department of Public Works, said the department was satisfied with the progress of the road repair work.
He said another 3,220.38 works are going on in the state. The ongoing works constituted 2,002 km at a cost of Rs 102.27 crore. He said another 690 works are in the tender stage, and 525 works are in the re-tender stage after the initial process elicited no response. Another 131 works are in the process of preparing the estimate.
According to the PWD, out of the 636.46 km work completed, Kozhikode topped with 318.63 km, followed by Alappuzha (85.96 km), Thiruvananthapuram (84.16 km) and Wayanad (46.65 km). Though a total of 1,154.83 km required for repairs in the Palakkad section with the cost estimated at Rs 42.10 crore, no works have been completed in the district, as per the information available.
Kannur is another section which is yet to see any completion of the work though the department has estimated repairs in 793.75 km at a cost of Rs 37.19 crore.
Immediately after the floods, the PWD had estimated that it would require 6-12 months for the reconstruction of the roads. A total of 34,732.45 required reconstructions costing Rs 400.52 crore.
Though funds are a constraint, the PWD is going ahead with the repair and reconstruction work. Officials said nearly Rs 1,000 crore have been sanctioned for the repair work of the roads.