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Fixed 15 days ago, Mohali Industrial Area road back in tatters
Half of the Mohali Industrial Area road had completely worn off between the stretch when the MC undertook patch work; uneven levelling of the road, however, has left the vehicles to face the brunt
The municipal corporation’s (MC) repairs notwithstanding, potholes have re-emerged on the road connecting Spice Chowk light point in Industrial Area with Sectors 57, 56 in Phase-1 — within a fortnight of apparently shoddy patchwork.
Notably, nearly half of the said road had completely worn off between the stretch when the civic body’s contractor undertook patch work around two weeks ago. Uneven levelling of the road, however, has left the vehicles to face the brunt.
Commuters have since rued the damage being sustained on their vehicles in the view of the fund-starved MC failing to re-carpet the complete road and instead opting for patchwork that left sections of the road untouched.
Adding to the misery, the quality of patchwork was such that the damage began to reappear soon.
The section of the road that was not repaired, meanwhile, is also beginning to show signs of wear and tear.
When asked about the reason behind the patchwork not holding up, MC contractor Sunny Bansal blamed the absence of any road gully on the stretch.
“In absence of the water drains, the water accumulates on the road damaging the patchwork too. We have again got the patchwork done on Saturday evening and will put the final layer on the road on Sunday,” he added.
Denying use of poor quality material on the stretch, a senior MC official not wishing to be named blamed the cold weather behind the damage of roads.
“The material for construction of roads needs to remain dry. Bitumen requires around 28°C to 30°C to settle down. We have to stop working if the temperature reaches around 22°C to 23°C during the day time. It was not the poor material but the poor weather which caused hindrance in repairing the road properlym” the official further added.
Mohali Industries Association president Anurag Aggarwal, however, pointed out that while the MC repaired the internal roads in the Industrial Area, the authorities have failed to re-carpet the aforesaid stretc.
“We had requested the MC officials last month to get the road re-carpeted but we were told that there is some internal conflict pertaining to the said road and that the Mohali legislator wants to hold a vigilance probe regarding the same,” he added.
Moreover, with the MC seeming to turn a blind eye, commuters have to struggle through bumpy rides at the dilapidated and unmetalled roads at the Spice Chowk.
“Vehicles passing from Spice Chowk lights to Sector 73, 74 frequently face the brunt of uneven roads, especially during the busy evening hours. It is one of the busiest chowks, but maintenance has been an issue for long. Even my customers complain as clouds of dust emerge each time a heavy vehicle passes by,” said Ramesh Kumar, who runs a roadside barber shop near the chowk.
A civic body official, meanwhile, said the work at the Spice Chowk would commence on Sunday
