Kochi: The deadly craters on state roads have claimed one more life in Kerala. An elderly man succumbed to the injuries suffered after his bike fell into a deep pothole at Chalackal on the Aluva-Perumbavoor route.

The deceased is 73-year-old Kunjumuhammed, a resident of Kurunkulam, Kunnukara, Marambilly. The accident happened at Pathiyatt junction on August 20, and he was unconscious till he breathed his last.

Local residents filled the pothole with concrete the next day after the mishap. 

The Aluva-Perumbavoor stretch is full of potholes, and the authorities failed to take any action despite the High Court directing the district collector to file an urgent report on the condition of the road. The residents have been presenting the issue with the elected representatives for months together. The road was handed over by the Public Works Department (PWD) to KIIFB for maintenance a year back.

Though the KIIFB allotted Rs 10 lakh, the fund is yet to be fully utilised. However, many of the deep potholes that they had earlier attempted to repair using sand and boulders surfaced again in no time.

There are several dangerous potholes in the stretch from Perumbavoor to Kothamangalam along the Aluva-Munnar road. A scooterist died a month ago after falling into a pothole at Athani near Aluva along the national highway.