Material shortage a big concern: Min

Thiruvananthapuram: PWD minister G Sudhakaran told the assembly on Monday that Rs 200 crore has so far been spent on road maintenance in view of the festival season at Sabairmala. While the state had sought Rs 450 crore towards reconstruction of roads in the flood-hit areas, the central road fund has sanctioned Rs 350 crore, he said.
Ahead of the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, the maintenance of the roads in Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki districts were carried out. The shortage of raw materials, especially tar, for the road works have affected the works in many places. There is also a shortage of rock powder and gravels, the minister said.

The Kerala Highway Research Institute is developing a new combination of tar which can be used for the road works. This material will ensure that the roads will not get damaged even during monsoon. The government has also decided to provide sanction for new granite quarries so that the shortage can be overcome. In addition to this, efforts are also on to bring raw materials from other states.

The minister said even though the shortage has delayed the works, nowhere the works have been stalled. The government is taking special care to complete the reconstruction of the roads which were badly damaged in the recent floods.