The Hindu 30.08.2013
KWA plans to speed up pipe-laying works
Faced with public ire and held responsible by the Public
Works Department (PWD) for the poor condition of roads, the Kerala
Water Authority (KWA) intends to redraw its pipe-laying policy.
As
per current rules, the KWA may wait till May 31 to complete
pipe-laying, replacement and repair works. With the monsoon setting in
by May-end, PWD and other agencies in charge of roads find it impossible
to repair the trenched portion, leave alone resurface the road.
“We
have advocated a shift in policy so that awarding of works to
contractors is advanced by a few months. This has been taken up with
Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph as well,” said KWA’s Chief Engineer
A.K. Ramani.
She said many water supply augmentation
works, especially those related to drought and pipe replacement, are
now awarded in summer months or a little before. “Once orders are
placed, it takes about two months for pipes to arrive. Most works take
one month to be completed and by this time the rainy season begins,
leaving little time for road-restoration works.”
The
KWA was chalking out plans to limit pipe-laying works from September to
April, when the rains take a break, sources said. There are also
complaints that adoption of archaic practices and slack supervision by
KWA engineers delay pipe-laying works.
On why the KWA
defaulted in handing over funds to the PWD for restoring S.N.
Junction-Puthiyakavu Road which had been dug up in May, Ms. Ramani said
there was delay in getting the funds approved. Interestingly, the KWA is
digging up many city roads even now, hardly a week since the rains took
a break. A PWD official said they were forced to give permission for
digging, owing to pressure from MLAs.
“There are also instances of roads being dug up without our knowledge.”
