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Saturday, Aug 11, 2007
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Kuruvilla promises good roads after rains

Special Correspondent

Public Works Minister T.U. Kuruvilla

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Minister for Public Works T.U. Kuruvilla has assured road users that the State Government will restore the damaged roads to good condition within days of the rains relenting.

At a press conference here on Friday, he said the Government had just released Rs. 102.65 crore to road contractors to get the works going.

“I admit that some roads are not as good as they should be. The rain has been heavy this monsoon and the vehicle load on the roads has increased several fold in recent years,” he said, explaining why the roads had deteriorated “so fast after May this year.”

Potholes filled

He said potholes on the roads had already been filled with rubble, but the real patchwork could be done only once the monsoon withdrew, since the tarring would not hold in the wet weather.

Asked about the reported disinclination of some contractors to take up the works owing to delay on the part of the Government to clear their bills, he said not many had adopted such a stand.

If the licensed contractors did not come forward, the Government would give the works to those without public works licence in view of the emergency, he said.

The State budget this year had allocated Rs.318 crore for road works, of which Rs.160 crore was for repairs.

Many stretches of the roads were in need for heavy maintenance. Roads under the Public Works Department stretched over a length of more than 14,000 km, the Minister said.

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