With just 10 days left for the monsoon to begin, many roads in the city look like battlefields with the Kochi Corporation, Kerala Water Authority and the KSEB that have dug one flank of the roads to either lay pipes, cables or for drainage — not completing the work in a desired manner.

The most important among these is the MG Road stretch from Jos Junction to Pallimukku which was dug to lay KSEB cables and the Thammanam-Palarivattom stretch up to the Pipeline Junction.

In Elamakkara too the corporation dug roads as part of the KSUDP/KWA project, ostensibly to exhaust the allotted funds by the end of the last financial year,which ended on March 31.

But the roads have been covered in a slipshod manner and the mandatory tarring has not been done.
In Panampilli Nagar too the Kochi Corporation initiated drainage work which has been completed only halfway leaving the road there in a shoddy state.

The residents of Panampilli Nagar came out in vociferous protest against the project, which again was suspected as a ploy of the corporation political and bureaucratic higher-ups to exhaust the allotted funds before March 31.

With the March 31 date long gone nobody knows whether these works culminated in meeting any purpose.

But one thing is clear and that is that the corporation has lost interest in these works.

Several roads are still dotted with potholes and the mandatory pre-monsoon work is yet to be undertaken on several roads in the city and the authorities seem to be not in a hurry to undertake the repair works.

The badly ‘mauled’ roads with huge gutters are already causing bumpy rides and are sure to result in much hardships and traffic congestion from June onwards when schools also reopen.

The gutter-filled roads in the city include the High-Court-Pachalam Road, Pipeline Road from Palarivattom to Thammanam, parts of the Broadway, Padiyathukulam Road near Convent Junction and the Warriam Road.

We are helpless: Corporation

The monsoon may be fast approaching. But the corporation officials say they have no option but to sit and watch the excavations on major roads go on and take no action, as the works have been initiated by the KSEB and KWA.

Corporation officials said they can only give permission to other boards and authorities and cannot deny the requests.

“When KSEB and KWA seek permission to excavate roads, we give permission on the condition of repairing and resurfacing the roads on time.

The deadline given to the boards for the ongoing works is May 30. If they fail to resurface the roads by that time, an amount will be cut from the security deposited by the boards,” said Soumini Jain, the chairperson of the corporation’s works standing committee.

Sources said the excavation works on MG road are being done by the KSEB, while the Thammanam-Palarivattom stretch is being dug by the KWA.

They said the timeframe of conducting the works would end on May 30. The work will again be allowed only after three months.

The installation works of RMU units on the MG road by the KSEB, were begun a few months ago, but the board is yet to complete the work.

This means the stretch will not be resurfaced before the monsoon, which is expected to add salt to the already wounded Kochi drainage system.

Though, the corporation is washing their hands off the resurfacing issue, people are clueless about whose responsibility it then is.

readers’ response invited

Is it the duty of the Kochi Corporation to ensure that the roads in the city remain motorable? With just a 10 days left for the schools to reopen and the monsoon to begin, what do you feel the authorities need to do in this regard.

How many of the roads in your locality are in a bad condition? We invite readers to express their grievances and impressions in this regard. We will publish them. Write to us in the email kochiresponse@deccanmail.com