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All is not well with Chandigarh’s roads, says new adviser
Says road carpeting and maintenance work will be taken up on priority after monsoon, as it is one of the things directly connected with people and the city’s image
All is not well with the road network of City Beautiful and it needs major improvements, said UT adviser Dharam Pal after making a round of the city.
While city residents have been complaining about the bumpy ride in many parts of the city and demanding improved road conditions for years now, the new UT adviser reached the same conclusion within a week of joining the administration on June 23.
Stating that improvement in the city roads will be one of his focus areas, Pal said, “The road carpeting and maintenance work will be taken up on priority after monsoon. It is one of the things directly connected with people and also linked with the city’s image.”
Pal has already taken review meetings of the municipal corporation (MC) and UT engineering department, and issued directions for improvement in road conditions.
The upkeep and maintenance of the city’s road network is divided between the UT engineering department and MC. Majority of the city’s road network, measuring about 1,400 km, is with MC, while UT takes care of arterial roads like Madhya Marg.
Notably, every year 20% roads in the city are to be carpeted on a rotational basis. However, the road work remained halted for a couple of years due to MC’s inability to pay the contractors.
After the UT administration dedicated funds for carpeting of roads, MC finally resumed repair work last year. But its pace has been slow even in the current fiscal, with MC trying to complete the pending work of previous years.
Road work worth ₹80 crore is to be carried. This includes pending works worth ₹40 crore.
In the last couple of years, even the quality of the road repairs under UT’s jurisdiction has come under scanner.
The condition of access roads to houses (the V-6 roads) is worse among all types of roads, complain residents. The roads in villages are no better, which MC officials have repeatedly blamed on fund paucity.
“In conjunction with improving the roads, the upkeep and maintenance of parks and green areas will also be stepped up,” said Pal.
Earlier, the official had directed MC and UT engineering department to ensure cleaning of road gullies and seasonal rivulets before monsoon revives, which is expected by July 4.
