The pothole-filled roads in Kochi claimed one more life on Thursday. A 23-year-old man was killed after the two-wheeler he was riding fell into a pothole near the Palarivattom metro station. The deceased was identified as Yadhu Lal KL, of Kachanikkodathu, Koonammavu. He was working in an online food distributing firm in the city.
The accident occurred at around 7.45 am when the victim was heading towards Kaloor. He was thrown off his motorcycle when the handlebar hit a board placed over the pothole.
"The victim lost control after the two-wheeler hit the board. He fell under the back wheel of the water tanker moving closely. The lorry driver could not see this as he was fallen under the back wheel on his left side. A case has been registered," said a police officer with Palarivattom police station.
The rider was wearing a helmet, but that was of little help as he died on the spot. A post-mortem was conducted at Ernakulam General Hospital and the body was handed over to the relatives.
The pit was formed after Kerala Water Authority (KWA) conducted repair works of the pipelines eight months ago.
"Though the authorities repaired the road in front of Palarivattom metro station last week this pothole remained unfilled. A few days back somebody placed the board of KMRL over the pit filled with concrete bricks as it was in a dangerous condition. Following this, the Palarivattom-Mamangalam stretch often witnesses traffic congestion but the authorities were not ready to fill the pothole," said an auto-rickshaw driver.
The accident sparked off a protest by BJP and Congress workers following which the police placed signboards on the road indicating the pothole.
The city remains in a pitiable state even after the intervention of the Kerala High Court.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission also registered a case directing KWA MD and City Police Commissioner to conduct an inquiry and file a report within four weeks.