A Zero Hour debate over the dismal condition of roads in Kerala led to an Opposition walkout in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Congress legislator Eldose Kunnapillil, who gave notice for an adjournment motion to debate the issue, alleged that underfunding, governmental neglect, and shoddy interdepartmental coordination had caused road surfaces in Kerala to resemble the pockmarked surface of the moon.
The toxic cocktail of chronic mismanagement, ill-designed thoroughfares with no proper system to remove surface and subsurface water, bureaucratic red tape, corruption and heavy traffic had rendered most roads in Kerala untraversable, he said.
Death traps
He blamed the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) for digging up roads, leaving gaping trenches on main thoroughfare roads for months. The KWA rarely met deadlines, exacerbating the situation and shutting out motorists from large swathes of the State.
The cratered roads, many with no warning signs, have caused untold accidents, resulting in injuries and sometimes death. They also cause prolapsed discs, punctured tyres, broken axles and traffic pile-ups.
Two-wheeler riders, which form the largest segment of ordinary commuters, have suffered the most. Coffee-coloured water puddles that cover potholes during the rainy season have caught hundreds of riders by surprise. Zigzagging and swerving to avoid potholes at the last minute have resulted in fatalities, Mr. Kunnapillil said.
Leader of Opposition, V. D. Satheesan, said decaying roads convey the image of a State in decline. He said lack of maintenance funds had fuelled the neglect. The tug-of-war between the PWD roads and the PWD maintenance wing was another reason for the apathy.
“Whenever the Opposition attempts to hold the government to account, it will accuse us of playing second fiddle to the BJP to sidestep real issues plaguing the people,” he said.
Minister’s stand
PWD Minister Mohammed Riyas slammed the Opposition for passing all the blame to the State government. “Kerala has 3 lakh km of roads of which PWD maintains only under 30,000 km.” he said. Another reason for the situation was the brutal monsoons and the NHAI’s insistence that it would undertake road repairs only after completing the under-construction sections. “It is an unfair insistence,” he said.
Mr. Riyas said the Opposition was markedly reluctant to expose Central Ministers who make a token inspection of NHs with an eye on the next Lok Sabha election. He reeled out a list of completed roads and public complaints resolved by the PWD. Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar disallowed the notice for adjournment motion.
