Thiruvananthapuram: The reports of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Operation Saral Rastha 3 - an inspection conducted to find out the irregularities in the construction of the roads - have been released.
Of the 148 roads inspected, 19 roads have been made without using enough tar, it has been found. Potholes have developed on 67 roads that have been tarred within the past 6 months, the Vigilance report said.
Public Works Department Minister P A Mohammed Riyas had recently stated that the roads have now been damaged across the State owing to changes in the rain pattern.
Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham said that inspection was conducted mainly on the roads on which the local bodies carried out construction or maintenance works especially in rural areas. As many as 115 roads done by Local Self Governance institutions, 24 roads by the PWD, and 9 roads done under Kerala State Transport Project have been inspected under Operation Saral Rastha 3.
The district-wise statistics of the roads examined are as follows: Thiruvananthapuram 40, Kollam 27, Kannur 23, 6 each in Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur, 5 each in Pathanamthitta and Kozhikode, 4 each in Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki, and 3 each in Alappuzha, Thrissur and Malappuram districts.
Of the total 148 roads that were checked, the Vigilance team has found that small potholes have already formed on 67 roads within a few months since the works were completed. District-wise data on the number of roads with small potholes is as follows: Thiruvananthapuram 18, Kollam 10, Pathanamthitta 6, Kottayam, Kannur, Kasaragod and Palakkad 4 each, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Wayanad 3 each, Idukki 2, and Malappuram 1.
It was also found that the thickness of the tar laid is lesser than the specified scale. Tar was not used as much as required on 3 roads each in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Wayanad, 2 each in Kottayam, Thrissur and Kozhikode, 1 each in Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kasaragod and Kannur districts.
Tar topping was not at all used on one road in Ernakulam, road roller was not used as needed on one road in Kollam and a road in Kozhikode has been completely damaged within months after the road works were completed, the Vigilance found.
The samples collected through the core cut technique during the Vigilance’s lightning inspection last day would be sent to the lab for testing.
The proportion of the tar, metal, sand and chips used would be found and a detailed quality assessment would be done.
The public can contact the Vigilance department regarding any information on corruption, on the Vigilance Toll-free number 1064, and 8592900900 or on the Whatsapp number 9447789100, vigilance authorities said.
