Kerala High Court yet again expresses displeasure at shoddy condition of Kochi roads

Expressing concern at the shoddy condition of arterial roads in the city, the Kerala High Court (HC) asked engineers of civic and other agencies that own roads whether they alone were not seeing gaping potholes that had developed on innumerable roads.

The situation is such that these roads are causing accidents. The District Collector might have to be summoned in case the situation did not improve, the court said.

Referring to complaints from motorists, including that from a woman two-wheeler rider whose vehicle fell into a pothole on Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, a Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran said that the engineers concerned ought to take swift action to repair such potholes. Engineers of the Kochi Corporation and the Public Woks depatment (PWD) were present at the hearing. Potholes abound on major roads like MG Road and Banerjee Road and also at places like HMT Junction. Unscientific and damaged manhole covers and undulating paver blocks are the other problems that motorists face. The situation is such that road users dying in pothole-related accidents is not news any more.

The deteriorating condition of roads is apart from reckless driving, especially by private buses, in Kochi, the court said. Very often, private buses engage in competitive and reckless driving even in front of the official cars of HC judges. There is no respite to this trend and the subsequent accidents involving buses, despite multiple orders by the HC. A case in point is the recent death of a college student at Ernakulam North. The police must take deterrent measures to prevent the recurrence of such accidents. ‘Unscientific’ time schedule is no excuse for reckless driving, the court said, adding that little action was taken, despite the HC ordering that the phone numbers of enforcement officials be displayed in buses.