Bus stuck in pothole sparks meme fest over Mohali roads

Commuters using the Kharar-Landran road have to brave potholes, open drains and waterlogged stretches on a daily basis and often express their frustration at the authorities’ inaction.

The anger, however, found an unusual outlet when a Landran-Sohana CTU bus got stuck on a damaged road near Shivalik City this morning. Residents gave vent to their anger through memes and jokes in WhatsApp groups.

With the back portion of the low-floor bus stuck in a big pothole filled with rainwater, college students and office goers had to deboard the vehicle in frustration. The driver, despite his best efforts, failed to get the bus back on the road and a traffic jam followed.

Two days ago, an Odisha-registered bus got stuck in the area. Residents latched onto the incidents, joking that these showcase the true colours of “Rangla Punjab”.

Irate residents of Shivalik City also slammed the administration and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials on social media, highlighting the craters, bald patches, open drains on both sides becoming permanent fixtures of the highway.

“Loaded trucks overturn, buses get stuck, two-wheeler riders fall here daily. No matter how slow you drive, your car will sustain damage. But neither the administration nor the NHAI officials are bothered. There is no accountability here,” said Barinder Singh, a Shivalik City resident.

Poking fun at the Aam Aadmi Party government’s Punjab Road Cleanliness Mission under which road segments were assigned to Class-I officers for daily monitoring, they shared pictures of garbage-strewn and waterlogged stretches.

A day ago, local Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders had staged a protest outside Kharar SDM office highlighting the waterlogging and garbage mess in the town.

Kharar SDM Divya P, meanwhile, remained unavailable for comment.

Another Shivalik City resident, Dr Amandeep Kaur said, “The administration and the Kharar Municipal Council have totally given up on the area. They are simply not bothered what is happening outside their offices.”

Locals say the condition of roads in Chajjumajra, Santemajra Shivalik City, TDI City has been pitiable but not a single rupee has been spent here for past five years.

Further ruing the inaction, they said the Kharar administration, MC and NHAI have been passing time by writing letters to each other regarding the maintenance of the stretch for the past two years without any of them taking action.