Poor condition of roads in Chandigarh leave residents a harried lot

Chandigarh residents are repeatedly complaining about poor condition of roads in the city, which have deteriorated further after heavy rains this month.

This comes after the municipal corporation (MC) was only able to finish pending maintenance work of 2019, and the work for this year had to be postponed, due to lockdown restrictions and later, during the monsoons.

General secretary of the Sector 33-B residents’ welfare association (RWA), Kuljinder Sra, said, “A deep hole had formed near the entrance of Sector in 33-B in the summer. I had complained to the MC authorities repeatedly since it can be dangerous when there is waterlogging on the road. But, it has not been repaired so far.”

Residents of northern sectors are also complaining about the poor state of roads. A resident of Sector 9, Anmol Gupta, said, “Streets in Sector 9 haven’t been repaired in years. After the monsoon this time, the top layer of the roads has been damaged heavily and needs to be dismantled. The roads need to be re-carpeted as soon as possible.”

Organising secretary of Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC), Sandeep Bhalla, said, “Even if there is a delay in resuming work, the quality needs to be improved. Firstly, the MC must ensure they have enough funds to get quality materials for constructing the roads. Once the re-carpeting is done, they must last atleast for the next five years.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) chief spokesperson, Anish Garg, added, “The slip roads of the city are in dire need of repairs they must be recarpeted first as many cyclists and two-wheelers are at risk. Roads around the road gullies must also be increased in height so that waterlogging can be controlled.”

The road repair had to be halted due to the rains but as per India Meteorological Department (IMD) Chandigarh director Surender Paul, the intensity of rainfall is likely to drop by the middle of September. “As per long range forecast, good intensity of rains can be expected till about September 10, after which it is likely to come down. Only light to moderate showers will be likely after that, while heavy showers over 60 mm can be ruled out,” he said.

Saying that road repairs will be started by the middle of September, chief engineer of the MC, Shailender Singh, said, “Road repairs had been halted during the monsoons and we are likely to start again after the second week of September when intensity of rain starts to go down. We will have enough manpower to carry out the maintenance works.”