Officials in Kochi said that road maintenance comes under different agencies, delaying repairs.

It's usual for monsoon rains to extensively damage roads across the country but a District Collector in Kerala has sent out an unusual warning to officials this time: fix potholes on time or pay for the repairs from your salary.

A popular tourist destination in God's Own Country and the largest municipal corporation in the state, Kochi is no stranger to the nightmare of potholed roads. But officials in charge of repairs for some 45 roads, most of them in Kochi city, had to face an ultimatum from the District Collector S Suhas on Monday.

"If my inspection doesn't find the same results as shown by you here, I will take up the job myself. I will register case against you and recover the money from your salary," Mr Suhas said.

"We are all being given salary using tax paid by the public... How many times will I call meetings for this? I'm sick and tired of this," he added.

The officer also asked for records of road repairs to be released to the public. "Put these records in public domain. Let people see and decide if work is being done or not," he said.

Mr Suhas' warning came during a review meeting held by the collector after he ordered temporary repairs to be undertaken a week ago.

Officials have blamed the delay in repairs on the fact that road maintenance comes under different agencies.

"Work has been going on and it has been satisfactory. I understand that it has been raining and it's tough to do repairs. The intention behind the ultimatum was to keep concerned officials on their toes," S Suhas later told NDTV.