KOCHI: A day after Mayor Soumini Jain along with Congress leaders laid siege to the Kerala Water Authority chief engineer’s office at Hospital Road in protest against the lackadaisical attitude to complete the pipe-laying and interconnection work in the city, the CPM-led Opposition on Tuesday came down heavily on the Mayor, terming the protest was a part of a drama to cover up ground reality.
Criticising the Mayor, Opposition councillors said apart from the roads which were dug up by KWA for pipe laying, some other roads of the Corporation were also in a dilapidated condition. “The KWA alone is not the culprit here. The delay on the Corporation’s side in repairing roads has also resulted in its bad condition. The Mayor is now trying to cover up the civic body’s flaws by pointing fingers at KWA. Even the protest that she staged at KWA office was an eyewash,” said Opposition leader KJ Antony.
According to the Opposition, the Mattanchery Bazar Road, Puthiya Road, Koonan Kurisu Road, Cochin College Road, Pandit Karuppan Road, Old Thevara Road, Salim Raja Road, Alappat Cross Road, KSN Menon Road and Varghese Thittayil Road have turned into death traps owing to the lack of timely maintenance.
“If the Corporation could carry out the maintenance work before the monsoon, the roads wouldn’t have been severely damaged. The tender proceedings have to be initiated before the monsoon, but the Mayor failed to do so,” said Antony.