Rain washes make-up off

Jisha Surya
First Published : 21 Jul 2010

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the much-hyped pothole-filling exercise, PWD Minister T M Thomas Isaac had claimed that his department had successfully filled 95 percent of the potholes in the city. A couple of days later, most of these potholes started resurfacing, as if to mock the hasty face-saving exercise. Monday’s heavy rain has washed away the temporary make-up and revealed the gutter-laced real face of city roads.
Most of the areas which caved in after restoration works, however, have the involvement of other agencies, such as Kerala Water Authority (KWA) or JICA. The areas were handed over by these agencies after pipe works or JICA-assisted water works. The pathetic state of these roads points to the shoddy work carried out  by these agencies in restoring the road after pipe works.
When contacted, a KWA official, who is responsible for the pipe work on the MG Road in front of the Secretariat, even commented that pothole formation was normal during the rainy season.
The totally-dilapidated state of the Panavila-Thampanoor Road, which once shocked Isaac on his visit to inspect the work, continues. Isaac had given a one-day ultimatum to all JICA works which were delaying the road works. However, the JICA officials are still sticking to the July 31 deadline.
The potholes, meanwhile, have resurfaced in most of the roads even after the temporary make-up. The major road which connects the Bakery Junction Flyover to the Thampanoor bus stand has turned a  nightmare for city dwellers.
A senior JICA official said that they had started the road restoration works. “Though some works, including testing, are yet to be completed, we are planning to transfer the road to PWD after temporary restoration of the road. Further works from Manorama Junction to RMS will be done later,” he said, adding that work on the Panavila-Model School stretch would be completed before July 31, provided there was no rain.
The case is no different along the Museum-Vellayambalam road. A large pothole, which had developed following a water pipe leak, was filled last week. The potholes resurfaced in the heavy rain on Monday, exposing the futility of the PWD work.
The KWA officials said that they had handed over the road to the PWD after completing the road works. “We did some temporary restoration of the road and handed it over to the PWD. It is their responsibility to restore it properly,” said a KWA official.
The newly-tarred M G Road in front of the Secretariat has more than five potholes on the small stretch that connects the main gate and south gate. The PWD filled all the potholes on Tuesday, but many doubted the durability of the work.
TRDCL, the private consortium executing the road works, blamed the KWA’s pipe work in the area as the cause of potholes on the road.  “KWA has left the road after temporary restoration. Some days after the tarring, roads caved in at these areas,” said a TRDCL official.
When contacted, Devakumar, KWA Executive Engineer who oversees the pipe works along MG Road, said, “Formation of potholes is nothing new during the rainy season. Also, the tarring of the MG Road is in its initial phase only”.
When asked about the futility of pothole-filling works during the rainy season, PWD Chief Engineer Joseph Mathew said, “We can’t just leave the road as such saying that it is a waste to fill potholes during the rainy season. It may not last, but may save the lives of some motorcyclists during the rainy season”.
jisha@expressbuzz.com