Kochi: It would not be an exaggeration to say that roads in the State have become veritable death traps as more than 10 persons are getting killed on roads every day. In 2015 (Jan-Dec) the number of people killed in road accidents stood at 4,196. The number of persons with serious injuries was seven times higher than of those killed: 29,096 persons. The persons with non-serious injuries were 14,649 taking the total number of injured into 43,735 . Although the death toll in accidents keeps mounting for the past one decade, the civil society in Kerala seems to be blissfully unaware of this man-made disaster. A conspiracy of silence prevails on the subject. Puritans determined to teach the right morality to young couples by acts of moral policing, threatening those having drinks with hellfire and beseeching us endlessly on dangers of terrorism remains blissfully unaware of the daily terror in our roads.
The social audit of the road works by the state government in connection with the repair work undertaken in a 40-km stretch in Alappuzha is a good document to learn about the ills of the road construction work in the state dominated by an unholy alliance of the contractor-official-politician nexus. The existence of such nexus was never in doubt. But the question is how can the civil society mount a meaningful challenge to such a nexus? The greed of a few persons has become an unbearable level in terms of death and destruction of human lives. State Two Wheelers’ Users Association chairman James Muttikkal said the PWD minister should take the initiative for an independent inspection wing so that repairing works are conducted according to norms. The contractor should be asked to fill up potholes as soon as they appear on the road without waiting for the entire road to be damaged, he said.
“One of the main reasons for the pathetic condition of roads is the lack of proper monitoring during by the engineers. They should ensure quality of materials used for the work and also make sure the mixture using for asphalting maintains the stipulated ratio. One effective suggestion, which is now happening in some areas of Malabar, is forming work monitoring committees of the people. Retired engineers can also be made members in the committee”, said CE Chakkunny, president Malabar Development Council. “The constitution mandates that the government is legally bound to protect life and property of the citizens. The callous attitude of the authorities concerned towards the road mishaps in the state is the very negation of the constitutional rights,” says Jolly Chirayath actor-activist based in Kochi.
“We should have a transparent system on the amount collected as road tax and the amount spent of road construction and repair. The toll-roads in National Highway are major source siphoning off of public resources”, she said. As consumers of road people should demand for placing all information connected with road construction and repair in public domain, she added. According to Mr. Chakkunny the government is not spending even 10 percent of the total road tax collection for the maintenance and upgrading of roads. E.P. Latha, mayor of Kannur Municipal Corporation told DC that the civic body is planning to fix cameras and establish a control room to observe the condition of roads and maintenance work of the roads.
Coming to the controversial stretch of the NH work in Alappuzha, the authorities concerned are now engaged in repairing the stretch again. Tiling works in weak spots have almost been completed, said assistant executive engineer Rijo Thomas of the PWD in Alappuzha. Paving of tile on Cemetery Bridge in Alappuzha has been completed and would be opened to traffic soon, he added. A senior PWD official in Thrissur said Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) and Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) constructs roads that ensure five years of guarantee. Such roads are constructed by removing the entire structure of the existing roads. “The same concept should be adopted in all major road works”, he said.
(With inputs from Harigovind, Nidhin TR, and T Sudheesh).
