Heavy downpour leaves Lucknow roads riddled with potholes

A stretch of road running from Vipul Khand in Gomti Nagar and connecting the underpass to Janeshwar Park spans about 50 metres of damaged part after the recent rainfall.

After a 60-minute downpour in the state capital on Wednesday afternoon, numerous potholes emerged across the city, with portions of roads washed away and stones left behind.

The road that connects to the Summit Building (HT )

During a recent HT visit to areas affected by the heavy rainfall, it was observed that some roads had developed significant potholes. The condition was so severe that if drivers didn’t pay attention to these damaged patches, they could potentially get stuck, causing trouble for passengers.

A stretch of road running from Vipul Khand in Gomti Nagar and connecting the underpass to Janeshwar Park spans about 50 metres of damaged part after the recent rainfall. Similarly, the road in Vibhuti Khand, which leads to the Summit Building, has about 70 metres of damaged part, and in the Jankipuram Extension area, a section of the road has been washed away, leaving behind small stones. Another area, Khargapur, has an entire 100-metre patch of road damaged. Several other main roads have also been damaged by the rain or have been neglected by the relevant departments.

Areas experiencing the most damage include Gomti Nagar, Indira Nagar, Jankipuram, Khargapur, Vikas Nagar and several others.

“Every year after heavy rainfall, the road in the Vibhuti Khand area gets damaged. The agency responsible for road repairs fixes it, but a few days later, the road gets damaged again. This causes traffic jams as vehicles slow down due to potholes. We need a proper resolution for this issue,” said a café owner in the area.

Another commuter from Vibhuti Khand, Ankit Singh, mentioned that he has witnessed several accidents occurring on the road during late-night hours while going towards the Summit Building.

Rahul Singh, a regular commuter of the underpass road, expressed his concerns, “I have been travelling on this road for the past 3 years and have never seen it in a well-maintained condition. There is a significant issue of waterlogging, especially during rainfall. The water gets stored in the underpass, making it difficult for two-wheeler drivers to use this route. The damaged and broken patches also add to the driving challenges.”

Many have echoed a similar opinion that the construction of the road was so poor it couldn’t withstand even an hour of rainfall. It broke down in several areas, with the roads getting washed away and leaving behind small stones.

A resident of Jankipuram, Harshit, stated that the concerned authorities should take action against the people responsible for the construction of the road. Additionally, he suggested that the authorities should monitor the condition of the road and act if it gets damaged within a specific time.

While the Lucknow Municipal Commissioner Inderjeet Singh said that the damaged roads will soon be fixed.

“We will put the damaged roads under maintenance and get them fixed,” said Singh.