RIP roads: Repaired after months, dug up on the morrow

An HT check finds fresh excavation in Dalibagh, Vibhuti Khand and near EWS apartments; officials blame lack of coordination among road-owning and utility agencies

Isn’t it a joy to see a road repaired or remetalled after it lay broken for months?

For representation only (HT File Photo)

But how often have you had that joy cut short with a government department digging it up right after repairs, to lay pipes or cables?

This lack of co-ordination and communication between government departments, leaving damaged stretches behind, points - among other things - towards a wastage of public money.

An HT ground check found freshly repaired roads damaged at multiple locations, including Dalibagh, Vibhuti Khand and near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel EWS apartments. The excavation has undone recent roadwork, with some stretches remaining in poor condition for months. The problem has surfaced even as the state government has directed departments to repair pothole-ridden roads and restore damaged stretches after the monsoon.

The recurring practice points to a planning gap: utility agencies often undertake digging after road-owning departments complete repairs, instead of coordinating their work schedules and laying essential lines beforehand.

‘Repeated digging wastes public money’

“If departments know that cables, pipelines or other utility lines need to be laid, they should complete the work before repairing the road. A common trench could accommodate these utilities and prevent repeated damage to the road surface,” Sharma said.

He questioned why agencies waited until departments repaired roads before starting excavation, when they can complete their work while the roads await repairs.

Coordination failure acknowledged

Public Works Department (PWD) executive engineer for the Lucknow division Satendra Nath said that the department recovers restoration charges during the time any department or agency seeks an NOC. The recovered amount gets utilised for the repair of the road, said Satendra Nath.

Another senior PWD official said utility agencies, including electricity distribution agencies and other service providers, often failed to share their plans in advance. Agencies generally apply for permission to dig roads and deposit the prescribed restoration charges, but late applications prevent road-owning departments from incorporating utility work into their repair schedules.

Separate utility ducts planned

Lucknow Development Authority secretary Sushil Pratap Singh said upcoming and proposed LDA schemes will provide separate ducts for utility lines to prevent agencies from repeatedly cutting into newly constructed main roads.

He said the authority was adopting this approach in the Anant Nagar scheme and other projects under development.

Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar said that the LMC collects road-cutting charges from agencies seeking permission to carry out work on roads under its jurisdiction. He added that the civic body is responsible for taking necessary action after the work is completed. If any stretch of road has been left neglected, the corporation will take appropriate action.