KOCHI: Though the state is getting help from several quarters to its rebuild Kerala, the authorities have taken a lackadaisical attitude in repairing the roads damaged in the flood. Many roads in the suburbs of the district are still non-motorable even a month after the deluge. According to the Public Works Department, around 391 km of roads were damaged in the floods. But, the department is yet to kickstart the repair work.
“Almost all the roads in the North Paravoor and Aluva area suffered damages. Though the local body officials and PWD officers assessed the damage, no concrete action has been taken so far. The rebuilding of Kerala will be possible only with the repairing of the roads,” said Gopi, a North Paravoor resident whose house got submerged in the flood.
According to Paravoor MLA V D Satheesan, the government has failed to take up the restoration work on a war footing. “The government is doing nothing but the assessment. The road between Mukkunnam to Varappuzha is completely damaged. The panchayat roads in some part of the area needs to be reconstructed immediately,” said V D Satheesan MLA.
He added that additional fund needs to be allotted for the local bodies to repair the panchayat roads. “The local bodies are not in a position to repair the panchayat roads by using their Plan Fund. The panchayat can’t afford the money as the repairing cost is so high. So, the government should come with a special allocation to the grama panchayats,” MLA added.
As per the figures available with the PWD, around Rs 5,815 crore is required for repairing the roads. The repair of National Highways would cost around Rs 533.78 crore. The PWD needs Rs 368 crore to level potholes on 5,774-km road. However, except cleaning the roads, the PWD, which is the custodian of most of the roads in the state, is yet to start the repairing works.
As per the data, the department has spent nearly Rs 5 crore to clean up roads.
“The works can be initiated only through proper procedures. Tender proceedings have been initiated and we hope the work can be started within a few days. We also got the administrative sanction to carry out the work. We are planning to complete the pothole filling by October 31,” said MT
Shabu, executive engineer, PWD Roads Division, Ernakulam.
The cost