Cochin Smart Mission Limited is under fire for shoddy execution of road and footpath renovation work in Kochi. Seen here is the footpath of Banerjee Road which has not been barricaded. | Photo Credit: VIBHU H.
Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) is facing the heat over delay in renovating the footpaths of the arterial Banerjee Road, a corridor that is set for upgradation as ‘smart road’.
Much of the footpaths on either side have been in a dilapidated state, strewn with debris, slabs, and ditches, ever since the agency began work over a year ago. With the footpaths in ruins, pedestrians are forced to use the road, risking their life. CSML is already under fire, as a woman fractured her legs after being caught in an open pipe drain near the Kerala High Court, on Abraham Madamakkal Road recently.
CSML chief executive officer Shanavas S. said contractors, including the one in charge of electrical cabling work, had been told to clear the debris and set right the footpaths at the earliest. “Work on the road can be completed in another two months. Civil work can be done before monsoon, while installing transformers and other equipment will take a couple of more weeks,” he added.
“The woman fracturing both her legs after getting trapped in an open pipe drain built by CSML on a smart road near the High Court, is the latest and the most heart-rending of incidents caused by unscientific road and footpath work done by the agency,” said K.S. Dileep Kumar, president, Ernakulam Vikasana Samiti. “The agency must adhere to standards specified across India for smart-infra work and site management. Any dilution of standards, as can be witnessed in the footpath construction on Banerjee Road, will cause more such unfortunate incidents,” he added.
CSML is already facing public ire for going ahead with footpath renovation work on side roads, without removing / relocating steel posts erected by telecom companies that obstruct pedestrians. Bunk shops and other encroachments too were not removed on most roads, he said.
Sources in CSML said the respective contractors would ensure upkeep of all new footpaths and roads for three years, following which they would be handed over to the agencies that own them. Sign boards will be erected in the coming weeks, while rainwater gutters on footpaths and roads will be covered using perforated slabs or cast iron gratings, to prevent mishaps like the one in which the woman suffered fractured legs.
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Printable version | May 14, 2022 3:59:44 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/footpaths-of-banerjee-road-turn-deathtraps/article65354448.ece