Aluva stretch relaying only after metro work

"The KMRL undertook maintenance work of 33 arterial roads with facilities like pedestrian crossing marks. They are all done with high standard Bitumen Macadam and Bitumen Concrete (BMBC) tarring with three years' maintenance guarantee. However, motorists complain of terrible road conditions in main city stretches where the contractor is entrusted with the repair works. The contract amount (with DMRC) includes road repair works too and we can't take up those works," said a senior KMRL official.

The DMRC authorities said the focus is now on "patch resurfacing". "The DMRC will relay the roads only after completion of the work. Till then, temporary repairs will be carried out. Otherwise, with the plying of heavy machinery, the roads will get easily damaged. The frequent rains are also a factor in the bad road conditions," said a DMRC official.

The DMRC aims to start operating metro trains in the Aluva-Maharaja's College ground section by June 2016. The work of road resurfacing in the section would commence soon after that, he said.

"The patches repaired get easily damaged and the potholes formed every time it rains. We need a permanent solution. The patching works should be of high quality and not just a ritual," said Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council (EDRAAC) president Ranganatha Prabhu.