KOCHI: Many roads in the city and outskirts are in a dilapidated condition and have become not motorable due to the lack of regular maintenance. As the civic bodies have entered election mode with the enforcement of the code of conduct, no new work order can be placed.
The earlier tendered works have also been hit with the heavy North West monsoon. Roads in Vyttila, Tripunithura, Maradu and Kundannoor are in poor condition.
The Petta-Maradu stretch has turned to be a death trap for motorists, especially two-wheeler riders.
The other agencies like Greater Cochin Development Authority and Public Works Department are sitting on roadwork files.
"Though tenders for emergency road repair works have been finalised before the announcement of elections, contractors are reluctant to start repair works citing adverse weather. If the road is damaged again, they have to again restore it at their own expense. So, they are waiting for a dry spell to start works. Now, new tenders can be floated only after the new council is sworn in," said Soumini Jain, Corporation Works Committee chairperson.
Meanwhile, GCDA chairman N. Venugopal told DC that the agency is unable to repair the badly damaged Kathrikadavu-Kaloor stretch as the road has to be trenched for pipe-laying works of Kerala Water Authority.
"The KWA has requested us not to relay the road until the pipeline-laying work is finished. However, the authority has been sitting on the proposal for more than a year," he said.
The GCDA chairman has taken up the matter with KWA managing director Ajit Patil who has agreed to start works after the civic poll.
Rain ‘delays’ repair at hub for 45 days
Three-day repair work that would have solved the "bumpy" ride at the exit point of the Vytilla Mobility Hub is yet to start even two months after the Rs 35-lakh work order was given to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
The authorities are citing "rain" as the factor for not laying bitumen concrete layer in the stretch that extends just 120 metres.
The interlocking tiles at the section have come off months back. While the bus operators complain of the uneven sharp tiles causing damage to tyres, the commuters too are at the receiving end.
"The whole work takes just three nights as traffic cannot be blocked during the day,” said Vytilla Mobility Hub executive engineer K. Simon. “The contract was given to the DMRC one-and-a-half months ago but they are yet to start the work. We'd given permission for work from 9 pm to 4 am," he said.
The private bus operators have threatened to skip the hub if the "laxity" from the authority continues.
"The portion was damaged over six months back and they haven't repaired it yet. We dole out Rs 20 daily for getting into the hub and Rs 50 for parking the bus, yet we're not getting any services. There is a demand for skipping the hub which we're considering," said M. B. Satyan, president of Ernakulam District Bus Operators Association.
