City residents continue to have bumpy rides on pothole-filled roads, with the situation becoming worse after the monsoons, as the fund-strapped municipal corporation (MC) struggles to ensure timely repairs. Large potholes, crumbling stretches, and uneven surfaces have turned Chandigarh’s roads into daily obstacles, making it difficult for the commuters to navigate waterlogged patches.
From busy sector roads to narrow lanes in erstwhile villages, the poor condition of roads has triggered safety concerns among the city residents. They complain that despite repeated assurances, the civic body has failed to carry out road recarpeting on time, leaving key stretches in a dangerous state for both motorists and pedestrians.
While the problem persists citywide, some of the worst-hit areas include key internal roads in sectors 10, 11, 15, 19, 20, 24, 34, 35, 38, 42, 45, 48, 49, 56, and several erstwhile villages such as Mauli Jagran, Vikas Nagar, Modern Housing Complex, and Indira Colony.
“Every time it rain, the condition of roads becomes worse than before. The condition of the roads is appalling. It’s not just an inconvenience — it’s a safety hazard, especially for two-wheeler riders. The poor working of road contractors is exposed with every rain. MC must ensure timely road recarpeting as temporary fixes are inadequate”, said Anish Garg, general secretary of Chandigarh Residents’ Associations Welfare Federation (CRAWFED).
Pardeep Chopra, secretary, Federation of Sectors Welfare Association Chandigarh (FOSWAC), said, “Chandigarh roads tell about riches to rags story. Earlier the Chandigarh roads used to be a matter of pride for the residents but it has worsened in the past few years. The MC as well as the Chandigarh administration has completely surrendered in handling this situation. The roads in the entire city are in a pathetic condition and the monsoon has added fuel to the fire. It seems that in the coming days Chandigarh will be called a pothole or patchwork city.”
{{/usCountry}}Pardeep Chopra, secretary, Federation of Sectors Welfare Association Chandigarh (FOSWAC), said, “Chandigarh roads tell about riches to rags story. Earlier the Chandigarh roads used to be a matter of pride for the residents but it has worsened in the past few years. The MC as well as the Chandigarh administration has completely surrendered in handling this situation. The roads in the entire city are in a pathetic condition and the monsoon has added fuel to the fire. It seems that in the coming days Chandigarh will be called a pothole or patchwork city.”
{{/usCountry}}Amandeep Singh, a resident of Sector 24, said, “City residents are having bumpy rides and are experiencing vehicle damage. Due to potholes, massive traffic jams are witnessed. Though the city needs urgent recarpeting of roads, MC could have at least ensured timely patchwork in monsoons. Floating tenders in August has delayed the work entirely.”
The MC, which is responsible for maintaining over 2,000km of roads — including V-3 sector-dividing roads, V-4 shopping streets, V-5 sector circulation roads, and V-6 access roads to houses — as well as parking lots, rehabilitation colonies, and village roads, is facing a severe fund crunch.
The road recarpeting work, usually carried out during March-April and October-November due to favourable weather conditions, has remained suspended since May 2024. Despite paperwork for major projects being completed months ago, the process of opening tenders was stalled due to the financial shortfall.
A senior MC official said, “The MC has already floated the tenders for patchwork worth ₹1.5 crore. Emergency patchwork is being carried out simultaneously to address the most urgent stretches. Also, MC has started the tendering process to entirely recarpet the roads which are in ‘very poor’ state. Road recarpeting work will begin in October for around 250 km of roads, for around ₹40 crore.”