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Pothole kills 23-yr-old Kerala youth, Government orders probe
This was the second bad-roads-linked death in the city this week. Locals claimed authorities didn’t pay heed to their several complaints about the dangerous pothole that was also the cause of serious injuries to a woman rider last week.
A 23-year-old food delivery boy was crushed to death by a truck in Kerala’s Kochi on Thursday after he fell from his motorcycle while trying to evade a one-foot deep pothole on the road, said eyewitnesses. Youth Congress and BJP workers later blocked the road seeking action against officials responsible for road repairs.
This was the second bad-roads-linked death in the city this week. Locals claimed authorities didn’t pay heed to their several complaints about the dangerous pothole that was also the cause of serious injuries to a woman rider last week.
The Thursday mishap occurred near the Palarivattom flyover which was closed for traffic due to major construction faults. The flyover was built under the previous UDF regime and completed in 2016 by the present government amidst allegations of corruption by a nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and contractors involved in the project.
It had led to the arrests of the contractor and the former Public Works Department secretary T O Sooraj, but both were released on bail later.
The latest incident has triggered the usual blame game between various departments. PWD blamed the state water authority for digging up the road first and not repairing it properly after completing work on a waterline. State Water Works Minister K Krishnankutty has ordered a probe.
“It is sad that another life was snuffed out. We will fix responsibility and take strict action against erring officials,” he said.
Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain said the corporation had complained about bad roads several times but the PWD didn’t act. The State Human Rights Commission has also registered a case.
Only two weeks ago, Kerala High Court had pulled up the Kochi Corporation and others, asking them to repair roads on a war-footing. The court had observed that there was an absence of proper coordination and planning between agencies for carrying out periodic maintenance of city roads.
