THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The spells of heavy rain that lashed the capital city in the past two months have left its road network in a debilitated state. Waterlogged roads are now a perennial sight, and floods are a regular occurrence. If that isn’t enough, there are recurring pipe bursts and unending utility-related work, all turning the lives of motorists and pedestrians a nightmare.
If you thought the government would take care of it, you are wrong. According to official sources, the contractors are unwilling to take up repair and maintenance, citing the inordinate delay in getting funds from the treasury. However, this excuse does not sit well with the public.
“They are collecting taxes from us, aren’t they? The least they can do is make an effort to maintain and keep the roads motorable. Some of the roads are worse, but I cannot avoid going through them,” says Rajendran P, an autorickshaw driver. “I have many health issues after riding over gutters and potholes. My auto has also suffered a lot of damage because of the bad shape of the roads. They should do better for the people who voted for them,” adds the 57-year-old.
According to officials, five roads, namely Thirumala, Thrikkanapuram, Nemom, Pappanamcode, and Chandavila, are considerably damaged. “The work is in its tendering stages. It will cost around Rs 96 lakh. Road works are not happening because of delays in getting payments from the treasury. In any case, it is still raining. We can only start repair work after the rain stops,” says a senior official of the civic body.
Rs 4,000 cr in pending dues
According to the contractors’ association, the local self-government institutions in the state owe around Rs 4,000 crore to contractors for various work. “We are taking work under the 2018 schedule of rates, and the local body pays us `6,500 per barrel of tar when the actual cost is `10,500. Earlier, the government used to give a refund for the excess amount we spend on raw materials, but now, this, too, has stopped,” says Rajesh V R, the vice chairman of Kerala Government Contractors Federation.
He says that the government’s decision to clear bills above `5 lakh via the treasury has come as a huge blow. “After Onam, not even a single bill was cleared. Now, with the surge in the price of raw materials, most work exceeds `5 lakh in cost. We cannot carry out the work if funds are not released from the treasury. Those who take up work under local bodies are small-time contractors. Earlier, the local bodies used to release payments from their own funds. However, the government has put a stop to this,” Rajesh adds.
KWA, KSEB at fault?
The Kerala Road Fund Board is in charge of a 42-kilometre road network developed under the City Road Improvement Project (CRIP). But the inordinate delay in the completion of work by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has inflicted heavy damage on CRIP roads. “Pipe-burst is a major, recurring problem. We are forced to let KWA fix it. They owe `3.5 crore in terms of restoration cost. Even now, they are undertaking work on some of the stretches. We are unable to carry out any restoration work because of this,” an official of KRFB says.
The official points out that KSEB is no different. “These government agencies don’t finish the work as per the deadline. KSEB dug open our Kumarapuram - Poonthi road. The work was supposed to be completed within two months. Even after six months, the work drags on,” the official adds.
As part of the City Gas Project, AG&P is doing the work. “They hand over the road when they finish their work. Recently, they handed over the Chackai Road, and we have started the restoration work,” the official says.
Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (PWD) is waiting for the rainy season to end to initiate maintenance and repair work on the roads under them that stretch up to 140km. According to PWD officials, the roads which were tarred five years back have suffered heavy damage. “In the past two weeks, heavy rains have inflicted severe damage on some of our roads. Waterlogging and flash floods have also caused damage. For most of the roads, we have a running contract, and we will be able to fix them when the rain is over,” a PWD official says.
The current financial crisis plaguing the state has crippled many development and infrastructure projects. Nowhere is this more profound than on the roads of the capital city. Now in a shambles, it poses a threat to motorists and pedestrians