Kerala: Three officials suspended over lapses in road maintenance

Malappuram (Kerala) | Three PWD officials, including an executive engineer, have been suspended for serious lapses in road maintenance in Malappuram, PWD Minister P A Muhammad Riyas said on Wednesday.

Riyas announced the suspension of the officials through a Facebook post.

The suspended officials are the Executive Engineer of the Manjeri division, the Assistant Executive Engineer of the Perinthalmanna subdivision, and the Assistant Engineer of the Perinthalmanna section.

According to Riyas, following complaints from the public, the Chief Engineer of the Roads Wing was directed to conduct an inquiry.

The suspension was initiated on the basis of the Chief Engineer's report.

Riyas said that despite receiving multiple complaints from the public, the officials failed to take any action to carry out maintenance work.

The minister has also directed the PWD Vigilance Wing to initiate a probe against the suspended officials.

Riyas explained that the government had introduced the Running Contract Scheme to ensure timely road maintenance across Kerala.

Under this scheme, a contractor is assigned for road maintenance for a fixed period. A majority of the state's roads were repaired and maintained under this arrangement, he noted in his post.

"However, during inspections this year, gross negligence in carrying out the works was noticed in certain areas. In Malappuram, even after funds were allocated, the technical sanction and tendering process were not initiated on time. The lapse was identified in the Perinthalmanna subdivision under the Manjeri division of the PWD Roads Wing," Riyas said.

The minister reiterated that road maintenance works would continue without compromise, with public participation playing a crucial role in the process.

He added that under the Running Contract Scheme, blue boards had been installed on roads with the phone numbers of the concerned officials displayed for the public to lodge complaints.

If no action is taken after a complaint is raised, the matter can be escalated, he said