Potholed roads turn deathtraps in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Motorists are having a harrowing time with the formation of huge potholes on city roads.

The city corporation and PWD, the agencies responsible for road maintenance, are turning a blind eye and putting the motorists at the receiving end.

However, they blame the utility lines running underneath the roads for the damaged roads.

Several stretches including Aristo Jn – Music College Road, Puthen Road – Manacaud Road, Chalai – Tamil School Road, MP Appan Road – Vazhuthacaud – Kannettumukku Road, Althara – BSNL Exchange Road, Sreevaraham Market - Varaha Nagar Road, NSS – Sreekanteswaram Road, West Fort – Kothalam Road and Vallakadavu – Juma Masjid Sulaiman Street Road are in dilapidated condition.

It’s common to spot branches of trees or barricades in the middle of the road put up by local people to warn the motorists to avert accidents.

A top official of PWD road wing said that the ongoing 4G laying work by Reliance and other network operators had taken a heavy toll on the city roads.

“We maintain around 150 kilometres of roads in the state capital. The cables are being laid using trenchless technology but sometimes it damages the road. Potholes have surfaced in many of the stretches,” said the official.

PWD also blames Kerala Water Authority (KWA). “Sewerage lines are running underneath the roads, and KWA operates powerful equipment to pump sewage waste that damages the road. The majority of the potholes have surfaced near to the manholes,” said the official.

With local polls round the corner, the state government has sanctioned Rs 5 crores for maintenance of corporation and PWD roads. However, the work is yet to take off.