Kollam, Tuesday 1 February 2011: Minister for Public Works M. Vijayakumar has said that an expert committee has been constituted by the State government to study and report on construction of all-season roads in the State using scientific methods.
He was talking to presspersons after inaugurating the State-level social audit for road repair works here.

Vijayakumar said that the committee comprised experts from the Border Roads Organisation and the Central Road Research Institute. Now, roads in the States have to be repaired annually. Under the emerging system, maintenance-free roads for at least five years would be developed, he said.

The first road to be developed in this connection would be the 52-km Sabaraimala-Kanamala stretch in Pathanamthitta district, the work for which would begin in February.

The floods all over the State in October 2010 had ravaged many roads and the State government had made a special allocation of Rs.718 crore for repairing a stretch of 7,000 km comprising PWD and other district roads, he said.

The Minister said that the length of PWD roads in the State had touched 24,000 km and the National Highway, 1,513 km.

“The aim of social auditing on road repairs is to make the process transparent. Through the process, people will have a say in road development. Any complaints on roads can be passed on to the toll free number 180042577 and instructions have been given to address the complaints within 48 hours,” he said.

The function also marked the State-level inauguration of pothole-free roads and Kollam was declared the first pothole-free Assembly constituency in the State.

(Agency)