Road repair works to be done in a week, says Minister

Damaged roads on either side of Kochi Metro’s work sites between Aluva and Kadavanthra will be restored by DMRC within three days.

July 26, 2014 10:00 am | Updated 10:00 am IST - KOCHI:

Traffic snarls have become common on the Vyttila-Pettah Road, thanks to the potholes near Vyttila. — Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

Traffic snarls have become common on the Vyttila-Pettah Road, thanks to the potholes near Vyttila. — Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

Damaged roads on either side of Kochi Metro’s work sites between Aluva and Kadavanthra will be restored by DMRC within three days.

Other battered roads in the city and suburbs will be repaired within a week by agencies that own them. These decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Minister for Public Works V.K. Ebrahim Kunju here on Thursday.

Contractors of DMRC are contractually obliged to repair and restore roads in the vicinity of metro work sites and hence are given additional funds for the purpose. DMRC will also clear problems like water stagnation on M.G. Road and also between Edapally and Kaloor. Kochi Corporation and KWA will shortly commence work to repair portions of the Kadavanthra-Vyttila stretch on S.A. Road.

The NHAI will begin laying concrete blocks over potholed portions of Vyttila Junction, where traffic quagmires are worsening. State PWD’s NH wing will repair three other major junctions on NH bypass. PWD will pave concrete blocks over potholed stretches of Kakkanad-Athani Road, which were dug up by KWA to lay pipes.

Mr Kunju also directed PWD officials to repair the entry point of Mattancherry bridge within a week. “We will go ahead with the repair works, even though government contractors are boycotting works demanding clearing of dues,” said a senior PWD official. Damaged parts of Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, too, will be repaired.

Collector’s threats

In the meantime, district Collector M.G. Rajamanickam has threatened to slap charges under Section 133 of Criminal Procedure Code (Conditional order for removal of nuisance) against NHAI if the agency failed to repair potholes on the Edapally-Aroor NH Bypass by July 29.

“Under this, toll collection can be stopped and NHAI’s bank accounts frozen. Any further delay by NHAI in repairing the road will result in the works being handed over to Kerala State Construction Corporation. NHAI will have to reimburse the expenses,” Mr Rajamanickam said.

Sources said that NHAI is keen only on toll collection and not on proper upkeep of the busy NH Bypass.

State Government must entrust PWD or others State agencies with its upkeep so that repair and accident-prevention measures can be taken at the regional level, sans waiting for Central funds, they said.

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