LUCKNOW Shahnajaf road has been in a mess for some time now with one side of it entirely dug up due to the ongoing civic works under the Smart City project. According to locals, the delay in completion of the job has made the 1-km-long road connecting Hazratganj and Rana Pratap Marg a dust bowl, causing huge inconvenience to commuters.
The road sees high volume traffic as schools, coaching institutes, showrooms and a shopping mall are located here.
One side of the two-way road has ballast and open sewage all around and is completely blocked due to sewage pipeline laying work. Two-way traffic in a single lane makes life difficult for commuters during peak hours.
BUSINESS AFFECTED
Traders say their business has been affected due to the apathy of civic agencies. “I run a food and a tea stall. But due to the dust, customers avoid having food here,” said Sachin, a shopkeeper.
Another shopkeeper, Mohd Asif, who runs a garment shop, said due to dust people hardly stop at his shop. “One side of the road is turned into a parking lot for vehicles due to which my shop goes unnoticed. New clothes on display are becoming shabby due to dust,” he lamented.
HEALTH CONCERN
{{/usCountry}}HEALTH CONCERN
{{/usCountry}}“This construction work seems indefinite. Despite one side of the road being blocked, cops have allowed two-way traffic in one lane. They should make it one way at least during school hours,” said Pratima, a parent who faces the brunt of the ‘parking lot’ on the road, when she picks up her child after school.
“This is the second time when the road was dug up to install sewage pipes. Now, the road will be constructed twice…it’s wastage of public funds,” said Faisal Siddique, a local. “The situation is bad here. My children are falling sick due to the dust. I run a coaching institute as well and students are facing huge problems reaching here. Ten-minute distance has become a journey of 30-45 minutes,” he added.
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
“This road is named after the historic Shahnajaf Imambada situated at one end of the road. It was constructed by the seventh ruler of Awadh Nawab, Ghaziuddin Haider, who was technically the last nawab and the first king of Awadh. He declared himself as an independent king in 1819. The iconic structure was made somewhere during his tenure in 1814-1827,” said Lucknow based historian Ravi Bhatt.
“This imambada served as his mausoleum and was a replica of Ali’s tomb in Najaf in Iraq. Apart from Nawab Ghaziuddin, his three wives Sarfaraz Mahal, Mubarak Mahal and Mumtaz Mahal were also buried here,” he added.
According to a signboard at the construction site, the sewage pipeline is being installed as part of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation’s Smart City project. “Several roads are dug up for sewage pipeline. Though the construction work is causing inconvenience to public, incomplete work will be completed soon,” said Pankaj Singh, additional municipal commissioner.