Bad roads: Mayor blames outdated specifications

KOCHI: Hinting that the condition of the city roads will remain pathetic, Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany said it was the specifications that dates back to decades was the major impediment in carrying out the repair work of the roads. “Specifications suiting the age should be brought out. Instead, we are following the outdated specifications,” he said. The continuous rain is also putting impediments in carrying out the repair works. “The roads will not be durable if the tarring of the roads is carried out during rain,” he said. The Mayor said that the shortage of employees was yet another problem in tackling the issue. “The Kochi corporation is facing a dearth of funds to carry out any development activities,” he said. The Mayor said that arrears were pending to the tune of `5 crore to the contractors. “We have availed ourselves of the loan from the bank to clear out their arrears,” he said. The government is yet to reimburse a huge amount which has been paid by the Kochi Corporation to the employees as pension fund. To ease the financial burden, the corporation authorities will take stringent action against those who evade building taxes. The squad formed to inspect this issue found that the city is crammed with buildings which have been evading building tax. In the inspection conducted by the Kochi Corporation, a textile shop and a seven-storey hotel in MG Road, an 11-storey hotel at Vyttila and a building in Palarivattom Junction were found to be running without paying the tax. “In the 11-storey hotel in Vyttila, the hotel authorities were paying only the tax for 2 storeys. A fine of `1 crore and `25 lakh is charged against the authorities of this hotel,” the Mayor said. He also added that so far `17 crore was collected by way of building tax.