THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Sasthamangalam - Peroorkada Road has been full of potholes for close to a year now. Kerala Water Authority had dug up on both sides to lay ductile iron pipe of 400 mm, and now with monsoon rains, the stretch has become worse. Motorists have a hard time to evade the potholes and accidents have increased. Even though the KWA had handed over the 2.8 km-stretch back to public works department (PWD) on 30 May, the road tarring and repairing works will not be taken for another three months due to 'monsoon ban' imposed by PWD minister G. Sudhakaran.
Upalokayukta Justice K. P. Balachandran had taken a suo motu case against the KWA after an incessant leak on the over four decades old cement pipeline. Though the KWA got permission to start the Rs 4.5-crore work just before the last monsoon, the PWD did not give its sanction. They waited until August last week, and when the southwest monsoon subsided, the KWA got permission to dig. The locals' woes started then, and several accidents followed especially two-wheelers falling on rain-drenched potholes.
"The entire stretch is full of potholes in the middle," Suresh Kumar, owner of City Medicals at Sasthamangalam, told DC. "If motorists try to manoeuvre towards sides, they will land in another uneven road where the KWA has dug up to lay the pipe. It is unfortunate that the officials and local councillor and local MLA have given scant regard to improving it." B. Ajayakumar, executive engineer, KWA, they had paid an additional Rs 1.31 crore for repairs to the PWD. But with PWD minister banning repair and tarring during the monsoon, people's cup of woes would continue unabated until the end of August.
