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The Hindu
31-07-2025
- The Hindu
Kochi Corporation allocates ₹5 lakh per zone to repair roads on war footing
The Kochi Corporation has allocated ₹5 lakh to each of its seven zones to repair potholed roads under its jurisdiction in the next couple of weeks, while other agencies have also been asked to follow suit with regard to roads under their control. The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Mayor M. Anilkumar and District Collector N.S.K. Umesh here on Thursday (July 31, 2025) to discuss ways to address the pitiable state of roads in the city under the Corporation and other agencies. The move comes a day after the Kerala High Court expressed dissatisfaction at the shoddy state of arterial roads in the city, even as the court asked engineers of civic and other agencies that own roads whether they alone were not seeing gaping potholes that had developed on innumerable roads. Unscientific and damaged manhole covers and undulating paver blocks are the other problems that motorists face. The situation is such that road users dying in pothole-related accidents is not news any more, the court observed. 'We have already started repairing potholed roads, including Stadium Link Road, Pachalam Road, and other select roads. Once the rain subsides, we will completely resurface the affected roads dug up for various projects. Besides, Cochin Smart Mission Limited [CSML] has been asked to intervene and ask the contractors concerned to repair roads, which it had restored but had developed potholes before the expiry of the Defect Liability Period,' said Mr. Anilkumar. The Public Works department (PWD) has also been asked to do the needful in the case of roads under its control. The Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) has been asked to repair the Goshree bridges and the potholed road near the High Court for which it had deposited funds with CSML. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) were among the other agencies asked to restore roads at the earliest. Officials of the Kerala Water Authority have also been asked to repair roads dug up as part of the Jal Jeevan project. The meeting held in the Collector's chamber was attended by representatives of the PWD, GIDA, GCDA, NHAI, Motor Vehicles department, and the police.
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
GCDA plans to transfer KK Road to Kochi Corporation after restoration work
The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is looking to offload Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road (KK Road), the only road under its ownership, by transferring it to the Kochi Corporation once the latest round of restoration work is over. Ever since its commissioning in 2004, the 3.20-km-long, 22-metre-wide 4-lane road has been one of the most-used arterial roads in the city connecting two major junctions – Kaloor and Kadavanthra – while also providing one of the most congestion-free routes between Vyttila and Kaloor. Most long-distance buses connecting the city to the south and southeast regions take this road to reach the Kaloor bus stand. Of late, KK Road has been in a sorry state with potholes marking large stretches. 'We have tendered restoration work worth ₹2 crore, which will get under way as soon as the rain relents somewhat. Once the work is over, consultations will be held with the Corporation authorities on the potential transfer,' said GCDA sources. The GCDA, it is being pointed out, has no separate allocation for the maintenance of roads, and hence its periodic repairs have been a significant drain on the authority's revenue. While the GCDA can undertake minor repair works, such as filling potholes, large-scale restoration works and resurfacing are not feasible, unlike the Corporation, which has a separate allocation for road maintenance. Mayor M. Anilkumar welcomed the proposal for the transfer of the road to the Corporation after the latest restoration work. 'As per the Town Planning Act, the development authorities have no authority to draw up development schemes on their own but can do so only on a resolution passed by the local body concerned. Even then, the project has to be restored with the local body once it is completed. In the case, of KK Road, the Corporation has not insisted on that considering its good relations with the GCDA,' he said. Notwithstanding its popularity among motorists and other sections of users since its commissioning, the road has drawn its share of flak over the years. For instance, the road was inaugurated multiple times. Initially, on completion of the two-lane road, and then again after it was widened as a four-lane road. In between, it remained almost abandoned for a couple of years after being dug up for a drinking water project.
The Hindu
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Contract for biomining of legacy waste at Brahmapuram extended till September
Amid allegations of corruption and protests by the Opposition Congress and BJP councillors, the Kochi Corporation extended the contract with Bhumi Green Energy, the company engaged for biomining of legacy waste at Brahmapuram, till September 30. Responding to protests by the Opposition, Mayor M. Anilkumar said that it was improper to create a dispute over an issue of common interest to the city, and that the procedures were transparent. The company has requested contract extension citing financial constraints and difficulty in completing biomining within the existing time frame. The United Democratic Front (UDF) alleged corruption when the issue was considered. The UDF councillors alleged that the volume of waste at Brahmapuram was exaggerated and also cited audit objections and the failure to complete biomining within the agreed time while demanding not to extend the contract. The Mayor said that 90% of biomining had been completed. The Corporation has made a commendable achievement at Brahmapuram, which is fast emerging as a model for the rest of the country. The UDF was against biomining at Brahmapuram, which was driven by politics, said Mr. Anilkumar. UDF and BJP councillors had seen the work of Bhumi Green Energy and were convinced. There is no corruption in biomining. The High Court, Ministry of Housing, and the National Environment Research Institute have commended the operations at Brahmapuram. Audit objections have been given proper responses, the Mayor said. The bill is not based on refuse-derived fuel (RDF) but the volume of waste handled. Mr. Anilkumar said that anyone could examine them, and that the extension of the contract was a legal obligation. According to the survey conducted by the Kozhikode-based National Institute of Technology, there were over 8.43 lakh tonnes of legacy waste at Brahmapuram. In the initial survey, it was 7 lakh tonnes. Over 7.32 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste have been treated till June 12. Incidentally, the company, in last June, had claimed that biomining of 50% of legacy waste at the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant had been completed, and that the entire project would be completed by April 2025. The Pune-based Bhumi Green Energy started biomining of legacy waste on January 15, 2024. Non-recyclable waste segregated through biomining is being diverted for cement production. Such waste is being shifted as RDF, which is used by cement factories. Biomining followed a devastating fire on plastic heaps at Brahmapuram in 2023 that lasted almost a fortnight.
The Hindu
27-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Pothole-riddled arterial roads make commute a nightmare for Kochiites
The proliferation of potholes even on innumerable arterial roads and on national highway corridors has made commuting a nightmare in Kochi, following which angry motorists, pedestrians and others are demanding accountability from the agencies concerned. Ranjit Thampy, a city-based socio-environmental activist, said that only the roads which had been resurfaced a few years ago in the city hub by Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) were largely found to be free of potholes. He noted that this indicated a failure by the Kochi Corporation, Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA), Public Works Department (PWD), and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure that preventive maintenance and the mandatory resurfacing of damaged corridors were carried out before the onset of the monsoons this year as well. 'The reason why roads that had been resurfaced using the BMBC method (that comes with a five-year warranty), and NHAI-owned NH corridors that are resurfaced using higher specifications develop potholes has to be probed. It often takes over an hour to reach from one point to a nearby point due to the worsening condition of roads and obstructive parking on almost all roads,' he said. Sources in the traffic police said that they were hamstrung, considering the unprecedented number of severely-potholed roads in the city and its immediate suburbs and the plethora of bottlenecked junctions. 'We are fed up with commuters often complaining to us about serpentine traffic snarls, wastage of time, fuel and the wear and tear of their vehicles. Incidents of road rage and accidents too are becoming common, since motorists often enter the wrong side of roads to avoid potholes,' they said. Gaping potholes With gaping potholes galore on the main carriageway and service roads of the NHAI-owned 17-km-long Edappally-Aroor NH 66 Bypass and the Kundannoor Junction-Maradu NH 85 corridor, the GCDA-owned Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, the Kochi Corporation's Stadium Link Road, the GIDA's trio of Goshree bridges, the PWD's Thammanam-Pullepady Road and the NH Bypass-Vennala-Seaport-Airport Road corridor, NGOs and others filled a handful of potholes with stones and mud. There were also protests, with anything from shrubs to plantain trees coming in handy to warn motorists of impending potholes. Road owning agencies cite administrative delays for not doing preventive maintenance, rains and slack inter-departmental coordination as the reasons for the pathetic plight of roads in the city. Mayor M. Anilkumar spoke of how the Stadium Link Road would be resurfaced once the rain abated. Sources in the GCDA said that although tender was finalised to resurface the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road earlier this year, the State government had not given sanction to execute the ₹2.50-crore work. 'The GCDA can directly award works only up to ₹1 crore. For now, workers have been directed to temporarily fill potholes and to place sign boards warning of potholes,' they said. On its part, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is facing flak for delay in repairing damaged and trenched parts of the arterial Civil Line Road that it barricaded a year ago for Kochi metro's Kakkanad extension.
The Hindu
26-07-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Kochi city pounded by heavy rain on Saturday; amid high tide, situation along Ernakulam's coastal belt worsens
The densely-populated Kochi city was battered by an unabated spell of heavy rain accompanied by strong winds for hours since Saturday morning, leaving vast stretches of the city vulnerable to rain-related risks and roads inundated. The city saw its worst flood situation since the onset of monsoon on May 24. Areas in the city traditionally vulnerable to flooding has been submerged as the rain continued relentlessly. For the first time this season, the M.G. Road was completely flooded. While uprooted trees disrupted power supply in many areas. According to Mayor M. Anilkumar, 'A low lying city like Kochi can hardly do anything when battered by heavy rain for over 3 hours without a break.' 'A motor installed for pumping out water from M.G. Road developed a snag. The situation was made worse by the fact that high tide continued till 2.30 p.m. preventing water from draining out to the backwater,' the Mayor said. Areas near the KSRTC bus stand and Ernakulam South railway station, Monastery Road, Ashoka Lane, Vivekananda Road, Aysha Road, KP Vallon Road, Azad Road, Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, Pachalam, Market Road have been flooded. 'We deployed four centralised flood mitigation squads in addition to squads at the zonal level. It took time for the stagnated water to drain out owing to the high tide,' said an official with the Corporation health wing. Padmaja S. Menon, division councillor for Ernakulam South, said that rather than pinpointing the affected areas it would be far easier to say that the entire division was flooded. Water entered many houses along Vivekananda Road while flooding was also reported along the Mullassery Canal, she said. M.G. Aristotle, UDF parliamentary party leader in Kochi Corporation, accused the civic body of not having undertaken desilting of the Thevara-Perandoor Canal under 'Operation Breakthrough' in advance. Carrying out desilting works in July during the peak of the monsoon is a futile exercise, he said. The inmates of the P&T Apartment complex reported heavy leakage of apartments as has been the case every time it rained ever since they were shifted there last year. Service roads of the national highway were flooded at many stretches and many two-wheelers could be seen wobbling in flood water. Areas where national highway widening works are underway were reduced to mud pool. Coastal areas Heavy flooding and sea incursion have been reported along the coastal stretches of Ernakulam district. A team from the Fire and Rescue Services was deployed for evacuating people living along Aniyil beach in Vypeen. Kochuthresya Nishil, member of ward 13, one of the worst affected wards in Edavanakkad panchayat, said, 'The situation is extremely bad in Edavanakkad and almost all 300-odd houses in a one km stretch in my ward along the seashore were invaded by waves. Some of the affected families were even finding it difficult to move out to the relief camp.' Kochi taluk sources said that widespread damage was reported from the coastal belt of Edavanakkad, Nayarambalam, Vypeen, and other areas, which included tree fall. While authorities were prepared to open relief camps, many affected families were unwilling to shift. Airport Two domestic flights were diverted from the Kochi airport to Bengaluru and Coimbatore on Saturday morning owing to inclement weather.
