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Potholed roads drive Chandigarh residents up the wall
Multiple resident welfare associations in Chandigarh have expressed annoyance at delay in repairs for potholed roads, which, according to authorities may take another couple of weeks to start
The city’s roads have begun showing signs of wear and tear, with potholes being commonplace on both inter- and intra-sector roads. The condition worsened following record-breaking rains in January and early February, but authorities maintain that it would take another couple of weeks before recarpeting works can be undertaken.
While the southern sectors usually bore the brunt of the damage, roads across the spectrum are in need of repair this time around.
Speaking on the issue, Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) secretary RS Gill said, “The situation is the worst in Sector 7. The inner market road, besides Madhya Marg and the dividing road of the sector need immediate repairs after the recent rains.”
Residents’ associations press for immediate action
Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) chairman Hitesh Puri, meanwhile, pressed for the immediate need of recarpeting, citing multiple complaints that have come in from varied sectors.
Sector 33-B’s resident welfare association (RWA) has even written to the municipal corporation (MC) regarding this problem, with general secretary Kuljinder Sra saying, “The roads are recarpeted once and then for five years they are not repaired even as potholes start appearing within months. The material used for recarpeting must be made more durable.”
“The officials must also not wait for people to complain and start recarpeting based on their own observations,” he added.
City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations (CFORWO) convener Vinod Vashisht, meanwhile, suggested the use of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste processing plant’s produce for carpeting ,“The MC had set up the plant at Industrial Area last year, and waste should be processed from here and used for road recarpeting.”
Vashsiht added that residents of Sectors 44 and 45 were also facing issues due to bad roads.
Recarpeting left incomplete at MHC
Recarpeting work did start at Modern Housing Complex (MHC), Sector 13, duplex area in December 2021, but had to be stopped. The damage has since reappeared.
MHC RWA president Colonel (retd) Gursewak Singh said, “We had complained to the MC officials about this. It was found that the thickness of the road was too less and the tar was unable to stick and this was later washed away by the rains. We were assured that the road recarpeting will be done once again by the end of next month.”
Mayor assures proper action
Responding to the questions on the poor condition of roads, mayor Sarbjit Kaur, who is also the MHC councillor, said she would look into the issue.
“For the recarpeting work higher temperatures are needed. We haven’t yet formulated a plan on how the recarpeting will be done, but we will prioritise the places from where we are getting the most complaints,” she said.
UT administration and MC officials added that recarpeting work is likely to start around mid-March.
