THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Just as in the case of Corporation roads, Major District Roads (MDR) managed by the Kerala PWD are in a bad state due to long delayed maintenance works. Some of the most pothole-ridden stretches include Attakulangara-Killipalam bypass, Kochar road from Killipalam to Edappaz-hinji, Balaramapuram- Uchakkada road, Pangode- Thirumala road, Thirumala- Peyad road, Vallakkadavu- Arattukadavua road, Valiyathura-Perunelly road, Kannamoola Road.
While PWD officials claim that they will soon commence or finish repairing of some of the roads, different reasons are cited for delays in each project. Attakulangara-Killipalam road has been in a shambles before assembly election and a complete re-tarring has been pending for years. “Work is in progress at Attakulangara-Killipalam road. Then, we have started work on the road from Valiyathura that connects it to NH bypass. The work has to be in tandem with the widening work on NH. Kattakada (Mandapathinkadavu)-Karamana road is being repaired in various phases and we have already repaired some parts of it. There is need to widen junctions like Thirumala and Malayankeezhu as per the masterplan,” said a PWD official.
As per Thycaud councillor M.A. Vidya Mohan, patchwork has been done to some parts of Kochar road depending on the influence of local politicians of respective areas. “It is learnt that the widening of Pangode-Thirumala Road via military camp has started. Banks of road are being concreted to widen it slightly,” said Pangode councillor Madhuso-odhanam Nair. The PWD administration said that their top brass were busy with the task of completing maintenance of roads to Sabarimala after being rapped by the High Court last year.
