Reliance to restore roads after repeated requests

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following several requests from the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), Reliance Jio Infocomm has finally made a move to restore stretches under the City Roads Improvement Project (Crip) that it had dug up. On Wednesday night, the company restored some portions from MG Road to Vellayambalam.
The roads had been in poor condition after the firm laid cables for its 4G project.The cable-laying works had severely damaged many portions in Vellayambalam.
The road fund board had asked Reliance to halt further cable-laying works until it restored the damaged portions. The firm had earlier used a quick-fixing polymer to restore the 3-cm-wide trenches that it had dug on roads extending around 26km.
The polymer, however, wore off in the monsoon showers causing the restored portions to sink in.
Two-wheeler riders were the most affected by the damages, which partially destroyed the otherwise well-maintained Crip roads.
The company has now carried out bituminous overlay on the damaged stretches. KRFB general manager Sudarshanan Pillai said Reliance had restored the only a few portions and the remaining stretches will be restored only after the board reviews the work. “We will direct our independent engineer to review the work. They will be asked to continue only if the work is satisfactory,” he said. Reliance has approached KRFB for laying cables along more stretches.
Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Ltd (TRDCL), which is in charge of maintaining Crip roads, had expressed dissatisfaction with KRFB over the cable-laying works.