Kochi: The road repair works done in haste along the Edapally-Mannuthy stretch of the National Highway in central Kerala has turned out to be a farce with potholes resurfacing within a few days of the patch-up.
In many places, repairs were done without using a road roller, sources said. The use of substandard tar might also be the reason for the damage, they said.
It's learned that shoddy works were carried out even in other parts of Kochi city and adjacent areas on both NH and State Highway segments.
For instance, potholes on the Varapuzha Bridge were filled on Wednesday without using a road roller.
Also, substandard tar — just a mix of emulsion and pulverized rock pieces — was used as a quick fix.
The small potholes formed on the road towards Paravur were not even filled. There are many unfixed potholes near the median.
The two deep potholes near the Kochi Municipal Corporation's office at Vytilla are yet to be filled and continue to pose a threat to motorists.
The deep pothole at Nedumbassery, which caused the death of Manjali native Hashim a few days ago, was fixed twice within a short period.
The repairs done on the stretch beyond Karukutty were done in a haphazard manner and without adequate tarring. The deep pothole at Karayamparambu, which was filled last month, has resurfaced.
Similarly, the potholes repaired at Elavur Junction and those between Karukutty Junction and Old Checkpost have all reappeared.
The shoddy repair works were done without the supervision of any National Highway Authority officials or those from the contracting company, it's learned.
State roads
The pothole-filling exercise at many places along the Kerala Public Works Department (PWD) roads too, has also come a cropper.
Manot motorists said workers used brooms and hoes to cover up potholes at HMT Junction at Kalamassery.
Workers first removed the dust in the potholes using the broom and filled it with substandard tar. They fixed the same with hoes and deposited sand granules over them.
The pothole at the beginning of the Container Road, too, was filled using the quick-fix solution. The workers left after covering the patch with paper.
Similarly, the craters along the Kariyad-Matoor road where two young women fell from the bike and got seriously injured were filled just by using the hoes. The tar mix brought in a mini-lorry was poured in the potholes using the hoes and fixed by moving the vehicle over them a few times.
In neighbouring Thrissur district, the potholes along the National Highway at Chalakudy and Koratty Junction, and those on the stretch between Puthukkad and Nellayi were filled on Tuesday.