Roads may top list of priorities

As the city waits for a fresh council of the Coimbatore Corporation to assume charge, repairs to roads are set to top the list of priorities in terms of improving basic amenities. Most of the roads in the city have potholes that threaten to kill or maim vehicle users. This condition has been persisting for close to a year. But, elections, rain and contractors' refusal to work for unviable material and labour rates have delayed the works.

After the South-West Monsoon and North-East Monsoon finished battering the roads, the Assembly elections were announced in March just as the civic body planned the works. With the Model Code of Conduct in force, the corporation had to wait for the poll results.

Just as it was about to take up work after the elections, monsoon set in and prevented the repairs from taking off. And, some of the planned works were not done as contractors did not submit tenders saying that the rates offered by the Government were low compared to the high market cost of labour and construction materials.

Resentment


As the corporation struggled to convey the resentment of the councillors and contractors to the government, the condition of the roads kept worsening.

Now, in the local body elections, all the contestants have promised to work for good roads in their wards. But, with the prospects of rain again, a tough phase is ahead for the civic body. Corporation sources indicate that roads will get top priority as the civic body has already drawn up works for Rs. 25 crore.

Most of the main roads are in a bad shape. D.B. Road, a busy shopping area in R.S. Puram, is full of potholes. A dug up portion on the western section of the road (leading to Cowley Brown Road) has been haphazardly filled up with stones to avert accidents.

But, even this temporary measure had been taken only after the pit hurt two-wheeler riders and cyclists and inflicted some damage on their vehicles for a couple of days ahead of the elections.

Only the regular users of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road (also known as 100 Feet Road) had been lucky because the road was re-laid before the elections.

A Corporation official says that works will begin after October 25. The Corporation had reached the process of finalising bids for the works when the elections to the local bodies had been announced. With the Model Code of Conduct in force from September 20, the process had to be halted. The government also raised before the announcement of elections the rates it paid for construction materials, he said.

Funds have also been allocated for works to be taken up on a priority. So, the corporation has to wait for the entire election process to be over, the official says.

Source: The Hindu