KOCHI: The High Court on Monday said that the engineers will be primarily responsible if the road gets damaged and that it will not hesitate to take action against them. The court, which said that passengers must return home alive and not in coffins, added that deaths due to potholes on roads will not be allowed to continue. Justice Devan Ramachandran said these things while considering the pleas to resolve the state's poor state of roads, citing the death of Aluva native Kunju Muhammad.

As the engineers were asked to appear to explain the reason for the delay in the maintenance of the Aluva-Perumbavoor road, the two Superintending Engineers of the Public Works Department and the Executive Engineer of the Kerala Road Fund Board, Asst. Executive engineers etc. were also present yesterday.

According to Public Works Engineers, potholes were formed on the Aluva-Perumbavoor road in May. They also informed the court that although they submitted a report to the Chief Engineer detailing the danger, they did not get approval for the repair works. They explained that the Chief Engineer suggested not to provide an estimate for the repairs as this road ha് been handed over to the Kerala Road Fund Board. The single bench said the explanation was shocking. The High Court asked on what basis was it decided not to repair the road despite knowing that the road was in a dangerous condition. Such systems must change.

"The work on the road, which was handed over on June 27, started on July 17. The court has been speaking against such lapses for the past four years after the death of a young man who fell into a pothole on the Palarivattom road. How long should the people wait for a good road? Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram District Collectors had given reports about the damaged roads. The responsibility will not end with submitting reports. The authorities should supervise to resolve the issue," the court said. The High Court adjourned the petitions to October, after recording the government's explanation that the repairs of the Aluva-Perumbavoor road would be completed in ten days.