Needed: Designer roads for Kochi

KOCHI: The Corporation will soon submit a novel concept to the State Government to improve the conditions of roads in the city. The concept will be formulated out of the suggestions and recommendations made by experts who took part in the ‘Cochin Road conclave- for Better Roads Ahead,’ held here on Sunday. “We will compile the major suggestions put forth by the experts and town planners who took part in the conclave within two weeks. Once it is done, we will document it and hand it over to the Chief Minister for the state’s consideration,” Mayor Tony Chammany said.Briefing the media on the sidelines of the conclave, the Mayor said that the major recommendations include the introduction of designer roads and a scientific approach for the construction and maintenance of roads in the city.“One of the major reasons for the bad state of the roads is that it lack proper design since a majority of them are constructed without considering the geographical specialties of the area. The experts pointed out that the conventional way of repairing roads is not a feasible idea for a city like Kochi which is geographically diverse,” he said.The idea of ‘designer roads’ will help in constructing roads after conducting soil test and to design roads according to the geographical specialties of the area. “For instance, in some areas concrete tarring will be more suitable. Further studies in this regard will help in classifying the roads according to their geographical specialties and finding a proper design to these roads,” he said.The experts have also mooted the construction of the roads as per the guidelines issued by the Indian Road Congress (IRC), which is the premier body of Highways Engineers in India.The Mayor said the civic body would also urge the state government to consider the allotment of Plan funds for five years at one go. “The annual allotment of Plan funds is Rs. 18 crore. For five years this will be Rs. 90 crore. If the fund is allotted in a single stretch, then the civic body could identify the major roads in the city and do the repair works on a guarantee basis,” Chammany said.