Looking into abyss: Road from Nandan to Ram Bagh Chowk a crying shame

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 17

There are bad roads. Then there are ghastly mishaps. No surprises, it is bound to happen. This is a spectacle the shopkeepers and residents on the road leading from the Nandan chowk to the Rambagh chowk have been witnessing time and again.

It’s been almost a decade since these potholes developed but the authorities concerned have preferred to turn a deaf ear to the plight of the people here. These potholed roads turn into death traps in the night as these are not visible due to lack of street lights.

“The government dreams of providing world class facilities under Smart City projects. However, unlike in foreign countries where they provide at least provide an alternative to the people so that they could not suffer, the authorities here prefer to adopt an indifferent attitude towards public,” said Prof Mohan Singh, a local resident.

Earlier, it was due to the construction of an elevated road and now the construction of a bus stop for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. These construction works, being carried out for past decade, have let authorities slip from under people’s noses. Whenever apprised of the troubles, the authorities put in the excuse of the construction works. Instead of mending the road, they say they would resurface the road completely once the work’s dusted and done.

Salinder Singh, a dhaba owner, says that daily at least one commuter falls prey to half a feet deep potholes and suffers injuries, sometimes minor and at times serious ones. “The conditions are becoming worse day by day. With rains round the corner, it is surely going to take another wrong turn,” he adds. Salinder has been living in the area for past four decades and works with this father at the dhaba. “Since the construction of elevated road, the god and the authorities have forsaken this road,” he rues.

Sonu, another shopkeeper, says that in absence of street lights, the area engulfed in dark is all the more accident prone. This also paves the way for the unscrupulous elements to seep in. “Thieves have targeted a dairy on the road twice in the past,” he shares, before adding what others are aslo wishful of, “The civic authorities should at least get the patches on the road done besides installing streetlights.”