Disclaimer: Woh Saath Din [Those 7 Days] was a hit Hindi movie of the 80s. That was a remake of a Tamil movie "Anda Ezhu Naatkal". This post has nothing to do with the movies except for the title.
No sooner than the Monsoon graced the backwater city of in Kerala, we are back to square none. The ill-fated Thammanam - Pullepady road was repaired in the second week of May. In fact, the road was in tatters while the IPL jamboree was going on in Kochi. In less than a month, the road is rushing back to it's own.
Flying through this road for just about two weeks, I went on a holiday and came back on June 1. Here is the progress of a 'Pothole'. This is just one of the hundreds and thousands of them erupting on this road every day. In fact, every moment. So here we go...
 |
| 1 June 2011 |
This is how a small hole with a smaller satellite body appeared on June 1, the day I returned to Kochi after a holiday. The birth place is near the small bridge which has a twin-bridge constructed recently.
 |
| 2 June 2011 |
This is how the twin potholes had progressed in just about 24 hours. That is some rapid progress.
 |
| 3 June 2011 |
Just look at the degeneration around the twin potholes and appearance of a second satellite on the left hand side.
 |
| 4 June 2011 |
This snap was taken from a side angle on 4 June. We can see the twin holes have merged into a larger Amoeba shape with the newer satellite enlarging rapidly.
 |
| 5 June 2011 |
This is on 5 June 2011. The extended family is merging and expanding. It is a much bigger hole now, though still not deep enough to fell the two-wheeler who is more interested in what I was doing than in what is in front of him !
 |
| 6 June 2011 |
Look at the extension of the Pothole family across the breadth of the road. This is such a rapid progress. This is now ready to act as a speed-breaker for all vehicles wading through the road at extreme speeds of 6.5 km per hour.
 |
| 7 June 2011 |
The funny thing is the initial potholes to the left-hand side look small compared to the bigger and deeper one in the middle. Just one week of average Monsoon has exposed the quality of work our Contractors are providing us.
3 weeks from here, the whole road will be infested by nothing less than a million potholes punctuated by islands of remnants of the excess tar accidentally left behind by the workers.
A change of guard in the Kochi Corporation was welcomed by me and people like me with a sigh of relief. The present dispensation has proved that there is no reason for us to sigh any more.
The ruling parties will change. The rulers will change. The ideologies will change. But the Contractors will not, the workers will not and the roads too will not change. The nexus will always prove to be in excess for the common man.
We the people of Kochi are doomed to live with these Potholes forever. So better learn to 'Live, Love and Laugh'. Nothing ever will improve in God's Own Country. NOTHING !
Dr. Pundit
"extreme speeds of 6.5 kmh" is that written as sarcasm or is 'sixty five' typed as 'six point five' by typing error ??.
ReplyDeleteManu, can you drive at 65 kmph on Thammanam Pullepady road ? I'd recommend you for Himalayan Rally :-)
ReplyDeleteThat was a good one facts with fun.
ReplyDeleteXtreme speed is true what more can one xpct
best matireal to fill the potholes are contractors and politicians
That is a great idea Sir. We must seriously give it a try :-)
Delete