KOCHI: Whenever there is a road dug up in the state, fingers point at Kerala Water Authority (KWA). However, the authority alone is not responsible for the pathetic state of roads. There are other agencies which have an equal role in making the roads non-motorable. Here’s a case in which the real culprit is the Public Works Department (PWD) for making the Aroor-Edakochi road a danger zone for motorists.
While the bituminous road’s condition went from bad to worse with the commencement of pipe-laying work under the AMRUT project, the PWD sat on a KWA’s request to dig up the stretch for more than a year since February 2, 2018. Thanks to the department’s willful negligence, the road remains a death trap for commuters.
Amid the worries, PWD officials led by Ernakulam Roads Division executive engineer Suresh Kumar A and team came up with excuses like procedural issues for not allowing the KWA to dig up the road and model code of conduct during the Lok Sabha elections for the year-long delay in restoring the road.
Despite the tight schedules, KWA completed the work in a record time of 39 days and whanded back the road by the end of March 2019. A kilometre-long Aroor-Pambaimoola stretch now has more than 100 potholes which have a depth of 10 to 15 centimetres. Although KWA owns up the responsibility of the poor condition of several other city roads, its officials pointed to the unnecessary delay from PWD in the case of this road.
“We sent the request to PWD about a year ago and sent several letters later. Had they granted permission, we could have completed the work in 2018 itself. After a delay of almost a year, they approved the request this year,” said a senior KWA official. The department had to work within a constrained timing – between 10 pm to 5 am – by paying extra charges to the workers.
“However, we completed the one-kilometre-long pipe-laying work in a record time of 39 days. As the road was handed back in March 2019, PWD could have easily completed the work well before the monsoon,” he said. When queried about the inordinate delay in the restoration work, Suresh Kumar said: “We received the completion certificate from KWA in March end. By that time, the model code of conduct of the Lok Sabha elections came into effect. Even if we had requested, it was very difficult to get special permission for the work from the Election Commission. After the elections, we applied for administrative sanction and received it by May end.”
However, there were no takers for the first tender floated in the second week of June and the department re-tendered the work within two weeks. “We got the contractor in the second tender and the first phase of restoration work started in June end. So far, we have cleared the trenches in the stretch and filled the base with white ready-mix concrete. But tarring work demands a dry climate. Till the rainy season ends, we will continue with emergency patch works,” he added.
Mayor blames KWA for delay in road re-tarring
Mayor Soumini Jain on Thursday said KWA promised to hand over the roads just a couple of days ago after the pipe-laying work. “Though we have completed the tender proceeding and other preparatory works, re-tarring can be done only after the rains. If we carry out re-tarring work during these rainy days, it will not withstand. The corporation will have to face the wrath of the High Court. Had the KWA handed over the roads on time, we would have carried out the re-tarring work,” she said, when asked about the suo motu case taken by the High Court on the pathetic condition of the roads.