KOCHI: Potholed city roads continue to remain a nightmare for motorists though many number of complaints seeking action in this regard have been lodged with the authorities concerned. Drivers passing through Chittoor Road, Rajaji Road, Krishnaswamy Road, Salim Rajan Road, Maveli Road, PV Antony Road and Park Avenue Road, which are among the worst hit, have to encounter a bumpy ride that takes a heavy toll on fuel, time and condition of vehicles. Besides, the backbreaking travel puts lives at risk.
“Both the main road as well as the sideroads in Gandhi Nagar are in a terrible condition, creating major hardships to the public. Unscientific construction is to blame for their short life,” said activist Ranjit Thampy, adding, the flooding of nearby shops is due to the same reason. “The height of the road and drain are not the same in many places such as MG Road due to which water enters the shops,” he said.
The appalling condition of several corporation roads had been taken up by the Kerala High Court which directed the authorities to file an affidavit on the issue before October 14. “The court had ordered the civic body to complete the re-tarring work of all roads within the city limits by December 30, 2019. The HC move came in the wake of numerous complaints from the public during the lockdown period,” said Advocate Tom K Thomas.
C P Ajith Kumar, who runs a travel agency here, squarely blamed the Public Works Department (PWD) and the corporation for the damage to his vehicle caused by the terrible condition of the roads. According to him, the authorities should do full re-tarring of the roads and should ensure a minimum five-year performance guarantee.“The internal roads built by the Kochi Metro Rail Limited should be the benchmark. Better coordination among the Kerala Water Authority, PWD and the corporation can ensure proper maintenance of the roads,” said Ajith.
Blame game
“The problem of flooding on MG Road can be solved to a large extent if the drains to the Mullassery canal are unclogged by the corporation. KMRL had constructed the drains without removing the cement waste underneath which has upset the alignment on certain sections of the road,” said assistant engineer, PWD Ernakulam section. Mayor Soumini Jain was unavailable for her comment on the issue.