Slipshod roadwork raises eyebrows

KOCHI: Road repair works in many stretches in the city and suburbs are progressing very slowly, and patch work in several stretches seems to be so poor that vehicle drivers are having a hard time now. In some places the road work was done only by pouring tar without placing any metal chips on the potholes. In the daytime when the sun shines, the tar starts to melt and makes the road slippery. A bike rider slipped on Tuesday and had severe bruises due to the melted tar at Ponekkara road. Several roads in the city which were repaired started to break up within few days after the repair work completed. “The repair work is not properly done. In the stretches they just have poured tar over the potholes. The tar melts in the sun making it hard for the bike riders during the day time. The tarring work of the road was done during the heavy rain, this reflects the careless attitude of Corporation and PWD regarding the repair work of the road,” said T K Sunil Kumar a resident of Edappally.Councillor of Ponekkara ward, Pius Joseph said, “The road work in the Ponnekkara is to be done by PWD. But the repair was done by LULU as they dug trenches to lay electric line which created potholes on the road. Now they are compensating by just pouring tar without any other substance to fill the potholes.”Many other arterial and side roads in the city maintained by the civic body and the PWD are in a dilapidated state. “Bus crew and passengers are being put to severe discomfort and many of them are encountering health problems, because of travelling through potholed roads. It also adds to the stress of drivers. Buses are suffering extensive damage because of the frequent breakage of axle and leaf springs.  We have requested the corporation and PWD to do something about it, but no action has been taken. The repairing of some of the roads in the city has also not been done in a proper way. We are planing to protest against the lethargy of the Corporation in this regard,” said K A Makkarkunju, the president of Ernakulam District Private Bus Operators Association.