MALAPPURAM: Public Works Department Minister PA Mohamed Riyas on Friday came out against the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) for the failure to repair the roads that KWA had dug up to lay pipelines. He said KWA has the responsibility to restore the roads to their previous condition.
The minister’s reaction comes a day after the Kerala High Court directed the authorities concerned to repair roads properly. The court also said the engineers concerned should be asked to resign if they did not know how to lay roads that could withstand rain.
“Those who dig up the roads have the responsibility to restore the roads to their old condition. An order issued by the state government in 2017 points out that if KWA digs up the roads for drinking water purposes, it has the responsibility to restore the roads,” Riyas said. Mentioning the court directive, the minister said PWD is not responsible for the maintenance of all roads in the state.
“Some think that all roads belong to PWD. Of the total one lakh kilometres of roads in the state, only 33,000km are of PWD. There are roads belonging to local bodies and other agencies. Only one among the roads mentioned in the case dealt by the court belongs to PWD. In the case of that road, the issue of KWA also needs to be solved,” Riyas said.
Meanwhile, Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine said in Idukki that necessary measures would be taken to solve the issues raised by the PWD minister. “I don’t think I should object to the statement made by him. Next week, I will discuss the matter with Mohamed Riyas and find solutions to solve the issues raised by him,” he said.