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Cops tell civic bodies to repair roads before rain
Having faced bitter experience due to frequent traffic snarls caused by waterlogging during monsoon last year, the Gurgaon police have asked civic authorities to repair all the damaged roads before the onset of the rains this time. Faizan Haider reports.
Having faced bitter experience due to frequent traffic snarls caused by waterlogging during monsoon last year, the Gurgaon police have asked civic authorities to repair all the damaged roads before the onset of the rains this time.
Gurgaon police on Tuesday asked the civic authorities to keep them informed in advance about any construction or repair work so that they can make alternative arrangements to check traffic jams on the city roads.
“The MCG and Huda didn’t keep us informed before carrying out road repairing or any kind of construction. Commuters suffer because of that as construction always leads to (traffic) jam,” joint commissioner of police Alok Mittal said. He also asked private companies to inform police before carrying out any construction works.
“We are witnessing jam on regular basis at Sikanderpur Chowk as construction of rapid metro is going on. We got to know about the construction only after traffic got choked. We could have taken preventive measures had we have prior information,” Mittal said in a meeting of police officials, the MCG (Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon) and the Huda (Haryana Urban Development Authority).
As the monsoon is expected to arrive in three months, the police have given them a list of roads which need to be repaired immediately.
“We all know what had happened last monsoon. Majority of roads in the city were full of potholes after a brief spell of rain. Driving had become nightmare and we didn't want to take chance this time. With three months still left for monsoon, we have asked MCG and Huda to repair the roads in a manner that it shouldn’t get damaged in rain,” Gurgaon Joint Commissioner Alok Mittal said.
Last year, several roads in the city witnessed waterlogging and traffic jams on a regular basis. Everytime, the seasonal rain fall exposed the poor maintenance of the roads due to bad condition of stormwater drains and sewage systems. Apart from sector roads, the worst-hit stretch was the Old Delhi-Gurgaon Road.
“We have prepared a list of roads which were in shambles with the rains transforming small potholes into large craters, creating bottlenecks leading to traffic jams. We don't want to witness the same situation this time,” Mittal said.
According to Jyoti Singh, a resident of DLF Phase 1, the civic authorities last year filled the potholes by dumping soil and broken stones into them, making it more difficult to drive for the motorists. “They should have an emergency plan for monsoon so that the commuters face lesser problem.”
