A back-breaking ride for motorists

KOCHI: For Tripunithura native John Jacob, the Kundannoor-Maradu-Pettah road is a nightmare that he can’t shake off. “Replete with potholes, the stretch is an absolute disaster. It has become unmotorable over the past few weeks. A potential hazard for commuters, the rainwater-filled potholes add to its severity,” he said. 

Following several complaints and one writ petition by Anirudh Mohan Menon of Tripunithura, the Kerala High Court, on Wednesday decided to take matters into its own hands by directing the District Collector and the Public Works Department (PWD) to repair the stretch which is part of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway. “Not only is the ride uncomfortable and back-breaking, but it is also perilous to our vehicles, especially in the rain. The road is potholed almost throughout the year and traffic snarls are common,” added John.

What the  authorities say
According to the PWD Wing of NH, the road was dug up by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to lay a pipeline. “We have demanded resurfacing at the earliest. The HC directive might speed up things. We haven’t been given a deadline yet. The rectifications are ineffective. On our part, we need to complete the tile work. The rain and Covid-19 are hindrances but we hope to complete it soon,” said a PWD official.

Interlocking tile work begins 
An executive engineer with the PWD said that interlocking tile work has resumed in front of Nucleus Mall in Maradu. “KWA’s pending work hampered our efforts too. They were supposed to finish the work in March. Our work is progressing well — we have filled the potholes using GSB (granular sub-base). The tile work will be completed within a night,” added the engineer.