Potholed, as ever

A day after MCD Commissioner KS Mehra directed junior engineers to fill potholes within 24 hours; roads remain pitted and scarred throughout the Capital, reports Emily Meredith.

A day after MCD Commissioner KS Mehra directed junior engineers to fill potholes within 24 hours roads remain pitted and scarred throughout the Capital.

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On the eastbound side of Ring Road, traffic crept Thursday as cars approached the bus stop at Safarjung Hospital. Potholes stretch for several metres across two lanes, forcing drivers to break, choking the already clogged lanes.

The MCD maintains that the drive to fill up potholes is still successful. Mehra said MCD engineers began work on roads that belong to the MCD, but that it will take time to complete the exercise. Mehra also said that a budget of Rs 8 crore was available to the engineers, who have been directed to take action on every complaint they receive.

At the MCD Standing Committee meeting that was held on Wednesday, many councillors said filling up potholes was an impossible task because construction material required for it was not available in the MCD storerooms.

Mehra had said Wednesday junior engineers would be held responsible if the potholes –– which slow down drivers, make for bumpy rides and can damage vehicles –– were not filled within 24 hours.

Roads outside Lady Shri Ram College, at Panscheel Park, Soami Nagar, Green Park, Yusuf Sarai, Safdarjung Hospital, South Extension flyover, Lodi Road, Vikas Marg all bore potholes.

In Soami Nagar, a pothole deep enough to swallow an autorickshaw's tire has pitted the service road for at least a year, according to taxi driver Gurmit Singh, who works at the taxi stand beside the entrance to the South Delhi neighbourhood. He said he has never seen an official come by to inspect the pothole or make repairs.

The civic body also claims it carries out temporary repair of roads before the monsoon but that is not apparent from the potholes visible in stretches across the city.