Broken roads become a nightmare for commuters

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 18

Bad roads have become a nuisance for commuters in the city.

The dilapidated condition of the road leading to Joga Nand village from Thermal Colony poses a threat to commuters’ lives. The 3-km stretch is a live example of the lax attitude of the authorities concerned.

Municipal councillor Malkeet Singh said the road fell under the jurisdiction of the Building and Road (B&R) Department- Mandi Board, but despite several intimations they did not do anything to repair the road.

Inderjeet Singh, XEN, B&R, said he was aware of the road’s condition, adding that they had recently got approval from the higher authorities for its repair. He said he would release its tender notice this week and work would start next month.

Apart from this, residents of the Surkhpeer road are also a harried lot. Municipal councilor Bant Singh Sidhu said they had raised the issue of having a metalled road with the municipal corporation, but they always took the excuse of fund crunch. He said the situation worsened on a rainy day and even school buses got stuck in the middle of the road.

Similarly, a huge pothole on the slip road along the Bathinda-Barnala highway poses a serious threat to the lives of commuters.

Residents said though officials had put up a barricade with red flag but that is not visible at night. A number of accidents have been reported on this stretch.

Balwant Singh, a resident of Hazura Kapura Colony, said, “It has been more than a week now since the pothole has been causing problems to the commuters, but no steps have been taken to address the issue.”

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said they were facing paucity of funds and the roads would be repaired as soon as they received the grant from the government.