5 months after monsoon fury, road connectivity from Chandigarh railway station to industrial area still cut-off

A causeway or low bridge located on the road connecting the railway station and industrial area had collapsed, and since then, traffic is being diverted for reaching the railway station, causing repeated traffic jams and inconvenience to commuters, especially railway passengers

Nearly five months after relentless downpour in Chandigarh led to the cave-in of the road connecting the railway station and industrial area, the road has yet to be repaired and thrown open for traffic.

The primary road between Chandigarh’s industrial area and railway station remains damaged five months after heavy rains caused a trail of destruction in the city. (Sant Arora/ HT)

It was in the first week of July when three days of constant downpour resulted in a trail of destruction in the form of road cave-ins, tree and bridge collapses and landslides, necessitating traffic diversions.

Of the other major roads in Chandigarh, a causeway or low bridge located on the road connecting the railway station and industrial area had collapsed, and since then, traffic is being diverted for reaching the railway station, causing repeated traffic jams and inconvenience to commuters, especially railway passengers.

The municipal corporation (MC) had estimated a cost of ₹70 lakh for the road repair and initiated the tendering process in August. Since the bridge’s wing walls, which support the wall of the bridge over the Sukhna Choe, entirely collapsed due to water flow, the MC estimated new constructions for the it.

“Traffic jams and diversions are causing daily nuisance near the railway station. Not many people, especially those visiting the city from outside, know other ways to reach the railway station. The civic body must speed up the work to restore the road,” said Bharti Batra, a city resident.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Prem Garg had also raised concerns over the road diversions. “Just a few metres of road to the railway station from the industrial area side are still not operational even after five months now. It should have been done in a few days with so many facilities with the government. What’s the rocket science needed to repair a patch of road? Public inconvenience is the last thing on the mind of our officialdom.”

When contacted, MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “There are four wing walls to be constructed for traffic restoration. Work in two wing walls has been completed. In the third wing wall, work is in progress. Repairs on the fourth wall have yet to be started because of repeated leakage of sewage in the storm pipe which has now been plugged. The road will be opened to traffic by December 31 this year.”