KOCHI: Though people blame the KWA, PWD and other agencies for the delay in restoring the roads, they also play a major role in delaying repair works.According to officials, the public do not allow them to carry out road restoration work during the day. “It is not possible to carry out the entire road restoration work at night. But here in Kochi, the public and some authorities are not permitting us to carry out the work during the day.
“If we carry out the work round-the-clock, most of the dilapidated roads can be restored within a short span of time. Even politicians are playing a crucial role by being at the forefront and exerting pressure tactics,” said a government official.
Meanwhile, some contractors also started saying ‘No’ to the tender invited for restoring busy roads. “The authorities and the public are not letting us carry out repair work during day time. So, we have to pay the workers double for working at night. For this, the contractor has to spend extra money from his pocket. Normally, we will stay away from taking such tenders,” said a contractor.
Elizabeth Teacher, Thevara councillor, said they faced difficulty to award the tender for Pandit Karuppan Road for the same reason. “Several contractors expressed their concern to participate in the tender proceedings. It was due to our effort a contractor finally agreed to take up the restoration work. Traffic movement during day time is a big issue,” she said.