Potholes along Gill Road are making the busy stretch increasingly treacherous for commuters, particularly two-wheeler riders, with rainwater concealing the craters and raising the risk of skidding and accidents.
Municipal corporation officials have acknowledged the problem but said only patchwork repairs could be undertaken for now, as the road will have to be dug up for laying a pipeline under the 24/7 river water supply project.
A comprehensive repair of the entire stretch can be taken up only after the pipeline work is completed, they said.
“We are patching up the troubling stretches across the length of the road. The work is ongoing. But that is the most we can do as of now. The road will be dug up to lay a pipeline for the 24/7 river water supply project. If we repair the entire road at present, it will be damaged again while laying the pipes. So we have to wait until that work is complete. It is only after that we can take up a comprehensive repair of the entire road,” said Harkiran Pal Singh, superintending engineer, buildings and roads branch, municipal corporation.
Social activist Arvind Sharma, who has been raising the issue of damaged roads across the city, including Gill Road, said the condition becomes particularly hazardous after rain.
{{/usCountry}}Social activist Arvind Sharma, who has been raising the issue of damaged roads across the city, including Gill Road, said the condition becomes particularly hazardous after rain.
{{/usCountry}}“It is such a simple thing to understand. After it rains, a road without proper black topping turns into a muddy puddle. The potholes are covered with water and aren’t even visible. Two-wheelers either bump into those potholes or slip while trying to avoid them and meet terrible accidents. It is a safety hazard for all commuters,” he said.
Meanwhile, mayor Inderjit Kaur on Sunday took cognisance of roads damaged during the laying of water-supply pipelines and directed officials to ensure their reconstruction at the earliest.
During a meeting with concerned officials, Kaur directed them to visit the affected stretches daily and ensure that the dug-up roads were reconstructed at the earliest. She said the roads had been dug up under the World Bank-funded canal-based water supply project and instructed officials to get them reconstructed so that residents did not face inconvenience.