Dera Bassi roads not quite rain-ready
Satinder Pal Singh
Dera Bassi, June 26
With the monsoon season less than a week away, it is unlikely that commuting in the city will be a smooth task for residents due to the poor condition of roads.
Link roads in various parts of the city are eroded and worn and are far from ready for the monsoon season which is likely to hit the city this week.
Potholes with yawning gaps greet the residents as soon as they step out of their houses. Village link roads are making for a bumpy ride for most of them. The potholes have become a primary reason for accidents in the region.
Residents of villages, such as Dandrala and Mukandpur, are facing a tough time in commuting from their houses as the road which connects their area to the city is dotted with potholes, which will pose even bigger threats when water gets accumulated.
City residents blame the administration for the poor condition of roads. The condition of college road has turned from bad to worse in the past several years, leaving locals
to worry about the situation after the onset of monsoon.
Residents alleged that during the visit of former External Affairs Minister Preneet Kaur to the government college around a month ago, the “cash-starved” MC stirred into action and re-carpeted the road stretch up to the college. They said usually the civic body would come up with several excuses to delay the carpeting work.
As monsoon is around the corner, the condition of the roads will get worse unless the authorities concerned take some steps to repair the rundown roads, say residents.
Nirmal Singh, former Sarpanch of Dandrala village, said: “When it rains, potholes are filled with water and it is difficult to judge them while driving a car or motorcycle. If repairing patches on roads is not possible in the rainy season, the civic body should have at least filled the potholes with sand, gravel or bricks.”
Another resident Harvinder Singh say some accidents on city raods have resulted in grave injuries, but no heed has been paid to the problem so far. “The MC has used sand to fill some of the potholes, but these only add to our woes when it rains,” he said.
Amit, SDO, Dera Bassi, said the college road was built three years ago and the estimate regarding its re-carpeting was yet to be framed. The SDO said the road re-carpeting could not be done in a short span and they would continue the work even during the rainy season.
Mukesh Gandhi, president of the Municipal Council, Dera Bassi, said: “I have instructed the staff to carry out the work of filling potholes with bitumen for the time being so that commuters do not face any inconvenience during the monsoon.”
