KOCHI: Expressing displeasure over the delay in completing the maintenance of potholed roads in the city, the Kerala High Court on Friday asked the Kochi corporation and Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) to take steps on a war footing.
The court issued the order on a petition filed by C P Ajith Kumar of Kochi seeking a directive to repair the roads.
Justice Devan Ramachandran orally observed that there was no proper planning by the authorities concerned for repairing the roads. The big craters developed on the roads posed a threat to the lives of riders. Even after the court had directed the officials to repair the roads, a two-wheeler rider was killed as his bike fell into a pothole and skidded.
Incidents of riders falling into these big potholes and getting run over by passing vehicles have become the order of the day. Citizens have got used to these incidents and they do not react.
There is no mechanism for the citizens to complain about the bad state of roads, the court said, and pointed out that the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation has declared a reward of `500 for citizens who report potholes.
The counsel for the corporation informed the court that the repair of the Thammanam-Pullepady road was in progress.
The counsel for GCDA also submitted that the repair work of the Kaloor-Kadavanthra road which comes under it had already been undertaken and sought two weeks time to complete it. The court adjourned the petitions for further hearing to November 29.
Meanwhile, the court asked the Kochi corporation to produce the records relating to the steps taken to repair the Pundit Karuppan Road. The petitioner alleged that the roads dug up by the Kerala Water Authority for laying pipes on the road had not been made motorable. The KWA had informed the court that it had deposited `1 crore for repairing the roads with the corporation.
The court noted that the roads had been in a bad condition for long. “How long could the authorities leave the roads in such a condition?” the court asked. If the roads could not be used for vehicular traffic, they should be closed, observed the court.