KOCHI: It looks like commuters will have to bear the brunt of the poor state of roads forever. Even as the roads are in a pathetic state, the tug of war between the Corporation and the contractors’ associations hardly show any sign of ending. Though the Corporation officials held discussions with the contractors associations on Monday, they have not reached any conclusion.The Kochi Corporation Contractors Association said that Rs 26 crore was due to them for the work carried out till December 2010.“We have demanded the Corporation to find a solution to the issue as fast as possible, as most of the city roads are full of potholes and need immediate maintenance work. But the Mayor said they are in a financial crisis and at the most they can give Rs 5 crore for the time being. But the contractors are not in a position to accept it,” said M R Chandran Pillai of the Contractors Association.At the council meeting on Monday the Corporation officials said that if the contractors continue with the strike, the Corporation would approach the Public Works Department (PWD) to carry out the necessary maintenance and emergency repair work of certain roads.“The Corporation is facing severe financial crisis. Though we offered to pay them Rs 5 crore immediately and the rest in instalments, they were not willing to accept it. They are not ready to withdraw the strike and insist that the entire amount should be paid at once. We have no other option but to approach the works department and request it to carry out the necessary work,” said Mayor Tony Chammany.However, the contractors association said that since it’s an issue that affects all contractors in Kochi, the PWD contractors may not take up the maintenance work here.“Around 15 contractors are on strike. We too want an immediate solution. The unscientific way of allocation of work to contractors is a cause for the problem. The maintenance of roads or construction of a drainage is allotted only a meagre sum of Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh unlike the case of the PWD. Nothing can be done with it. However, we are hopeful that another round of discussions on Wednesday would yield some result,” the association officials said.
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