Potholes loom large on repaired roads

KOCHI: The poor state of the roads in the city, one of the major reasons that helped the UDF win the majority in Kochi Corporation Council, is now turning into a Waterloo of sorts. The condition of some of the major roads in the city that were repaired merely six months ago is very bad causing much distress for commuters who have to negotiate through these stretches with a lot of difficulty.Though much of the blame rests with the contractors who undertook the work, the civic body cannot wash its hands off the problem. The present condition of the roads is a pointer to the lack of a proper monitoring system on road maintenance work. The civic body has spent Rs 4 crore on improving and maintenance of the arterial roads and another Rs 18 crore, sanctioned in the last Council’s term for maintaining roads in the city, for repairing some major roads. But some of these roads are already damaged. The contractors have failed in providing at least one-year guarantee to them.The most affected stretches are the ones between Thevara College and UP Bridge, the road in front of the Fine Arts Hall, the Rajaji Road near KSRTC bus station, the cross road near SRV High School, and SRM Road. The road at Iyattumukku has also developed dangerous potholes.“Unfortunately, the over enthusiasm shown by the UDF on the issue of roads at the time of local body elections has died down. The terrible condition of roads is the best example of their lethargic attitude,” said opposition councilor M Anilkumar.He said that a proper monitoring system is mandatory for proper maintenance of roads. “The work should be awarded to the contractors on a minimum guarantee basis. The specifications that we are using for road work are not enough to meet the high density of vehicular movement.""The drainage system should  also be maintained properly. Otherwise the crores that we spend on the roads will go waste,” Anilkumar, also the former Works Standing Committee chairman, said.Meanwhile, sources with the Corporation said that the decision to divide the Plan Fund for the 74 divisions has also affected the proper maintenance of some major roads. “There is a provision under the plan fund to allocate maintenance grant for the repair of roads. Usually this amount will come up to Rs 4 to Rs 5 crore. ""The earlier practice was to select  three of four major roads in the city and use the maintenance grant for their repair work. But the present Council has decided to go for a division-wise allocation of the fund. Each division will get Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh, which is too small an amount for proper maintenance work,” sources said.