Dilapidated roads pose threat to commuters

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Mohali, January 11

Bumpy rides have become a daily hassle for motorists due to poor condition of roads in the Industrial Area. Several roads continue to remain in disrepair.

The stretch from Phase I towards ISBT leading to Kharar is not motorable and poses a threat to the lives of the commuters. Another stretch in proximity to Spice Chowk in Sector 58, which was identified as one of the black spots for accidents, requires repair. Residents said the Municipal Corporation (MC) had failed to maintain roads even several months after the end of monsoons.

Paramvir Singh, a local resident, said, “The road in Phase II, near the electricity board building, has not been re-carpeted. The authorities should at least repair broken patches.”

Another resident said the authorities had earlier claimed that roads would be re-carpeted post-monsoons, but no repair work was initiated.

Gagan Chhabra, President, Mohali Industries Association (MIA), said some roads required immediate attention to reduce road fatalities. “Roads near the fire station and Phase III need to be rebuilt using concrete and cement so they can withstand heavy traffic,” he said.

“The bituminous surface treatment (BTS)-made roads are ideal for low traffic roads, whereas in the Industrial Area, a lot of trolleys weighing up to 70 tonnes move. The MC does not use cement claiming shortage of funds and even passes the buck by asking certain hot mix companies to conduct repair works. Since the MC is collecting property tax, it is the responsibility of the civic body to make roads motorable,” he added.

MC executive engineer Narinder Dalam said, “The repair works are under process. The estimates for re-carpeting have been prepared and are expected to be passed in the next House Meeting. Since there is heavy traffic in the Industrial Area, especially on the road leading to Kharar, we are planning to use reinforced cement concrete (RCC) slabs, which can sustain up to 80-90 tonnes weight.”

He added that the repair work had been delayed due to onset of winter and repair work could start only in March.