Road repair: PWD office picketed

KOCHI: Kumbalangi panchayat president Usha Pradeep and UDF members in the panchayat council on Friday picketed the office of the PWD assistant executive engineer in Kakkanad demanding immediate repair of Kumbalangi Ezhupunna Road.The president and members had staged a dharna in front of the PWD office on Thursday raising the same demand. “Yesterday we were told that the work would resume on Friday. We were forced to picket the official as there was no move on the part of the PWD as promised yesterday,” said pachayat president Usha Pradeep.The president and the members staged the picketing for around three hours.  It was ended only after the executive engineer summoned the contractor to the office and directed him to resume work on Saturday. The PWD has also sought police protection for carrying out the work. Though the PWD started  the maintenance work of the road on Monday last,  it stopped the work after a group of auto drivers, reportedly members of CITU-affiliated union, prevented work demanding guarantee for the work undertaken by the PWD. The PWD, earlier this month had allotted an additional amount of `15 Lakh for carrying out the reconstruction of Kumbalangi-Ezhupunna road.