Thiruvananthapuram: Three thousand kilometres of roads have been damaged in the wake of the havoc unleashed by heavy rains in Kerala.
The public works department has sought Rs 3,000 crore for repair and maintenance of roads from the finance department.
A report that includes all the details from all districts will be placed before the next cabinet meeting.
Incessant rains had washed away most of the roads in the state. In several places, nothing remains of the road.
According to preliminary estimates, nearly 3,000 km of roads need to be fixed. With one km costing Rs 1 crore, the total cost could be a whopping Rs 3,000 crore.
Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad bore the brunt of the damage.
Highways including the Thrissur-Wadakkanchery road are full of potholes. The Alappuzha-Changanassery road too needs repairs. According to sources in the public works department such damage has not been seen in the past 12 years.
With the rain converting the tiny potholes into gaping craters, the maintenance bills submitted by the department is set to fall insufficient.
Responding to the requests, the finance department has asked the public works department to begin work using the funds kept aside for repair works. Since the works need to be completed before Onam, the PWD is seeking the speedy release of funds.
