KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has stated that while roads in the state may not meet international standards, they must at least be safe and free from fatal accidents caused by potholes. “No more lives should be lost due to potholes. Kerala should not become number one in road accident deaths,” Justice Devan Ramachandran remarked orally. The court directed that all roads undergo comprehensive auditing. The observations came while considering petitions regarding the poor condition of roads.

The court dismissed the government’s explanation that heavy rains were the reason for the damaged roads. “It rains not only in Kerala but across the world, and there are roads everywhere,” the court said.

During the hearing, the court questioned whether engineers regularly inspect roads. “At the very least, shouldn’t there be warning boards where there are potholes? A single pothole is enough to take a life. Potholes must not be allowed to form; continuous monitoring is required,” the court stated. The remarks were made in the context of a youth who died in Thrissur while trying to avoid a pothole when travelling with his mother on a bike. His mother has not yet been informed about his death. The court also asked whether there were no women among the road maintenance engineers.

The court observed that engineers should be held personally accountable for potholes and directed that a comprehensive report of road audits be submitted. “The cries of relatives who lost loved ones in accidents are painful; we cannot ignore them,” the court said, adding that the matter would be reconsidered after two weeks.