A death trap called pothole

KOCHI: Kochi Corporation spends crores of rupees for road repair in the city. Despite the huge funds used for the purpose, the condition of city roads is pathetic.Almost all the roads in the city except a few byroads are in bad condition. It was after much hue and cry that the roads were repaired before the onset of monsoon. But, within a few days of heavy downpour potholes have reappeared on these roads. The major roads in the city are under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (PWD). So, it is up to them to repair these roads. In the case of other roads, we have taken measures to repair them,” said Soumini Jain, chairperson, Works Standing Committee, Kochi Corporation. But, it is the roads maintained by the civic body that top the list of dilapidated roads. A journey through Chittoor Road maintained by the Kochi Corporation has become a motorists’ nightmare. “Due to the rain we are unable to take up the repair work now. Once the rain subsides we will start the repair work. We have asked the councillors to inform about the potholed roads in their division,” Soumini said.The shoulders of Sahodaran Ayyappan Road have turned into a deathtrap for  motorists, especially two-wheeler riders. “Though the work of the road has been completed, there is a difference of opinion with the consultant. We were of the opinion that the portion between the main road and drains should be laid with tiles. But the consultants demanded that this portion should also be surfaced using bitumen,” said former Deputy Mayor C K Manisankar.“The Kerala Water Authority had informed us that they have to lay the pipeline through the shoulders. So, we didn’t want to tar this portion,” Manisankar said. So, there is height difference. This poses a threat to  motorists.