Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday criticised Kochi Corporation, Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the district administration for their failure to cover open drains and potholes on footpaths and roads. A Division Bench directed the Ernakulam district collector to hold a meeting of all the stakeholders and formulate a specific programme for carrying out the rectification works on a war footing.
The Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Thottathil B Radhakrishnan and Justice Anu Sivaraman also warned that the court would be constrained to constitute a committee consisting of persons who had held positions in the GCDA during the period when the city had seen fast development activities, if the authorities were unable to come up with specific suggestions.
“Roads were built and then dug up without delay for laying the cable for pipelines. “Dancing pedestrians” had become a common sight in various streets,” the court observed. The court passed the order on a public interest litigaion filed by Roshan Jacob Ommen, a lawyer. According to him, the incessant rain had flooded different roads of the city because the authorities failed to repair potholes.
