Contractors will be made responsible for the damaged roads they have built in Kerala. The Kerala government has taken this step as the state’s road network collapsed in recent heavy rains. The State Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said recently that the contractors will be asked to repair on their own the roads that collapsed within a year of construction.    

If the contractors fail to repair the damaged roads they have built, they would be blacklisted and they’ll not get contracts anymore, Chandy said. Two weeks back, the Kerala High Court pulled up the authorities for potholed roads and directed the government to file an affidavit making clear its stand on why the court should not constitute a separate body to monitor the utilisation of funds for their maintenance.    

The Chief Minister said the government has cleared a Rs 4.31 bn repair works proposal of the Public Works Department (PWD). The PWD minister will visit each of the 14 districts this month and hold meetings with officials and people’s representatives.