Inspection reveals 2,000 potholes on Delhi’s roads, minister calls for monthly review

A quality check on Mathura Road, Ring Road, Kalindi Kunj and IP Marg showed several problems. Apart from roads, the minister has asked for inspection of flyovers, foot overbridge and buildings as well.

Broken footpaths, dislocated kerb stones, missing signage, uncontrolled growth of trees affecting traffic movements, potholes and missing grills are some of the common problems spotted during an inspection of Delhi roads by public works department officials.

New Delhi, India- January 14, 2015: Badly damaged Vivekanand Road, in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, January 14, 2016. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

To improve the quality of roads in the national capital, PWD minister Satyendar Jain has asked the engineers to carry out at least four inspections of different roads in a month.

A quality check on Mathura Road, Ring Road, Kalindi Kunj and IP Marg showed several problems. Apart from roads, the minister has asked for inspection of flyovers, foot overbridge and buildings as well.

“At least four inspections of PWD roads and buildings on monthly basis are to be carried by all chief engineers and chief project managers. The inspection report should be reviewed by the engineer-in-chief and action taken report should be sent to the minister,” said a PWD official, quoting from the letter issued to them.

The minister will do a monthly review to improve the condition of roads.

“During the visit of Kalindi Kunj, the team found that road is damaged due to waterlogging. At some parts, signage was missing while in some areas the signage needed repair,” the official said.

The Public Works Department (PWD), which is responsible for maintaining over 1200 km of roads in the city, has also been asked to do away with manual repairing as it often leads uneven roads, making the ride bumpy.

PWD had completed repair work on 200 km of roads but complaints of potholes are yet to fully addressed. The department conducts regular survey to check potholes and rough patches. This year around 2,000 potholes and rough patches have been spotted.

Official said heavy traffic volume, coupled with rain, leads to quick wear and tear and regular maintenance is required to keep the quality of roads good for smooth flow of traffic and safety of motorists and pedestrians.